Coming in Handy_a Single Dad Romance

by Emilia Beaumont

  My brief insider’s look into the family drama the other day had been interesting and somewhat uncomfortable. I’d barely been there for a couple of minutes but I could already tell by the way his ex, Karen, sneered at me and was almost dismissive toward Kadee that she was a real piece of work. I left feeling shaken… sorry for Kadee who was such a kind-hearted, bright young girl, that she had to deal with a mom who almost looked right through her. Who didn’t have time for her. And who treated her like a burden. God, I knew all too well what that was like.

  I shouldn’t be judge and jury when it came to child welfare—hell, I wasn’t a mother, I didn’t know the difficulties that came packaged with it—but anyone who spent so much as a few moments in the fractured family’s presence would know that Kadee would be so much better off with her father, who doted on her like she was the most precious gift he could ever receive. He would, if he could, wrap the whole world in cotton wool, get out his handyman’s file and smooth down life’s cruel, sharp edges. All to keep his baby girl safe and sound.

  But it sounded like he wouldn’t get much of a chance to be a father, if Karen got her way.

  This only made my heart ache when I thought about his situation. What was he going to be like once Kadee left? I couldn’t bear to think about it. There was so little I could do, besides I told myself I wasn’t going to get involved any more. It wasn’t my place… He would obviously come to me if he needed me and he hadn’t. I didn’t need the distraction any longer, the house needed to be my priority. I needed to do what I came to this town to do; make a home for myself that I’d never had before.

  Part of me was sad he had not visited since, I missed him each day and each night as I lay alone in my bed. What was I doing even thinking about getting involved with this guy and his daughter? I had no real experience with kids. Kadee was sweet but long term what would it mean? I blamed Fiona naturally, she had always got me into some kind of trouble over the years and yet her advice still always sparked me into action.

  So for the two days, I got real busy with the house. I studied the book Derek had gifted me what seemed like weeks ago, and which turned out to be a great help. I’d stripped down and painted the dining room, and somehow, amid a string of curses and expletives managed to install new baseboards, and wall lights.

  As the tidiest room in the house it felt good to have a pristine area, devoid of complications. Someplace I could really think now that all the clutter, dust and mess had been swept away.

  This morning I had started early, hanging my new picture frames and adding all the decorative touches that even Derek’s immaculate abode lacked. With the finishing touches in place I stood back to admire my handy work.

  “Not bad girl, not bad,” I congratulated myself, letting the moment of accomplishment wash over me. It made me realize I could do this. I could actually have a life in this place, could do anything I put my mind to as long as I took it one step at a time. If only the same could be said about my love life.

  But no rest for the wicked. Must keep the momentum flowing forward. I wanted to keep busy and planned my next tasks as I nursed a cup of coffee. I’d given up on tackling the half-finished porch steps until the weather turned for the better. So staying inside was my plan, and visited each remaining room to figure out what else I needed to order in. If I was to continue today I would need more supplies. I had become a regular at the local hardware store and the owner Edgar was at least a friendly face.

  Derek’s place looked quieter than usual as I sprinted for my truck, my head low, hunched trying to keep from the drizzle. There was no sign of his familiar truck on his drive, he was obviously out somewhere with Kadee. Though since the drama I had not been paying much attention and had lost track of their comings and goings. It did my state of my mind no good to watch and wonder.

  A clean, simple break would be better for all concerned.

  Yet when I reached my truck, I found Kadee’s bear, Herbert, sitting on my windshield, a little soggy. Maybe it was some silly signal from Kadee that she missed me? I shook the bear trying to free it of the excessive water on its fur then placed him on the passenger seat, directing the blowers on him to help get him dry.

  “I bet you’re missing her, huh?” I said quietly to Herbert. “Me too. Me too.”

  No matter her intentions, innocent or otherwise, I would have to return it and decided I would take him back later, once he was good as new again.

  Edgar greeted me over his newspaper from his usual position, sat behind the counter of the hardware store.

  “Morning dear. You just can’t get enough of this place can you? Maybe I should set up some kind of loyalty card?”

  “Do you blame me? It is the best hardware store in town, isn't it?”

  “True enough… being that it’s the only one,” Edgar chuckled to himself and turned the page of his paper.

  I claimed a basket and dove into the aisles for the things I needed. When I arrived back at the counter, Edgar folded his paper, obliging me with his full attention.

  “You fixing up the old Cottle’s place ain’t ya, over on Chestnut Grove?”

  “Yeah that’s right, you know it?” I asked as I started to empty my supplies onto the counter.

  “Not really just heard about the sale in passing. I know Derek across the way well enough you see. Good fellow, must be one of my best customers.”

  “We’ve crossed paths,” I replied not wanting to delve into the complications of our relationship. “His place is an inspiration.”

  “Yep, he’s done wonders on that place. You should’ve seen it before he got his hands on it… a shame really.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “Well, he’s gone now. Last I heard he’s headed west with his daughter.”

  “What? No, that can’t be right.”

  “Yep, my wife’s the realtor. She’s already been sorting out the paperwork to sell the house and I saw him this morning all packed up in the truck heading out of town.”

  “Seriously, when was this?” I demanded, an irrational panic had risen from the pit of my stomach.

  “Not much more than an hour ago. All seems sudden to me.”

  “Very,” I agreed, stepping away from the counter. The panic had turned to nausea, I just turned and ran from the store leaving all my purchases behind.

  “Hey, do you want me to—”

  I didn't hear the end of Edgar's question as I fled outside taking a deep breath. Jumping in the truck my first thought was getting home. Maybe there had been a note, something I’d missed? Herbert watched me with concern from the passenger seat.

  “Oh, Herbert… god, you’re a farewell present aren’t you?”

  Herbert merely stared back at me with his glossy amber eyes.

  When I was met by the stillness back at Derek’s house I picked up and hugged Herbert. This was really it, all the dreams of the past week felt crushed like distant memories. I didn’t even know what I was doing… I got out of the car and found myself hammering on Derek’s door. I just had to check, to make sure. Trying to find a sliver of hope. Maybe Edgar was mistaken…

  I was rapidly filling up with regrets and disappointments. Why had I not gone over to see how they were, not spent time with them during their last days? Why had I left things as I had? But why had they not said goodbye either?

  To hell with clean breaks, I wanted nothing more than to see them again now. Would give anything for Derek’s truck to come trundling around the corner. But as I looked down the street, waiting for a miracle, nothing happened. They were gone, and they’d taken my heart with them.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Georgie

  After dragging myself away from Derek’s house, I slumped into the tatty old armchair in my lounge and that was where I’d remained. I was not sure how many hours had passed and I couldn’t find the will to care.

  All the miserable thoughts circled through my head, on repeat, unable to put a halt to the spiral I was heading down. I mulled over what
could have been and what I would have done differently. He was gone from my life forever, and I didn’t even have his number. What I wouldn’t give to have his arms around me again right now.

  A knock on my door startled me.

  I sat up rubbing my sore, red eyes. My initial thought was, Derek was back. I imagined jumping into his embrace as I pulled open the door, kissing him so much that he couldn’t get a word in edgewise. We’d laugh, we’d talk. We’d kiss some more and we’d make up. Everything would go back to normal, and he would help mend my heart.

  But it was never that simple. It made no sense that he would be at my door, did it?

  Tentatively, I got up and slowly turned the door handle.

  “Hey… Oh dear, you look rough. What the hell happened to your face?”

  “Fiona,” I gasped, letting all my hopes escape with the breath I’d held.

  “Well yeah, who else were you expecting? You forgot about our lunch date, didn’t you? And aside from your face, what the hell happened to your steps? I nearly rolled my ankle trying to climb up.”

  “It’s not Mount Everest, Fiona,” I grumbled, as I tried to imagine her clambering onto the porch as she must have done. But that was the least of my concerns.

  “Someone has an attitude… not even a hello?”

  “God, sorry. It’s been a crazy couple of days.”

  “You’re not forgiven yet. Come on then, tell me all about it,” Fiona said ushering me inside.

  She made tea while I rambled until my mouth went dry, about the occurrences of the past two days. Derek’s ex, the house up for sale, their sudden disappearance. My stupid argument with him, getting angry over him only trying to help fix up my porch. Why had I been so bloody relentless? I should’ve swallowed my pride and asked him to help me… but no, not me, I couldn’t do that. So fucking stupid.

  “It’s all gone to shit. And I think it’s all my fault.”

  “Oh no it’s not. He just doesn’t know your reasons.”

  “Exactly. It’s my fault. I didn’t tell him!”

  “That’s easily fixed. You’re not losing him that easy,” Fiona said confidently with a quirk of an eyebrow.

  Here we go again, I thought with a strange mixture of dread and hope; more of Fiona’s motivational advice.

  “You want to chase him down don’t you? That’ll be so epic, like the movies!”

  “I’m sure it would, but I have no idea where he went. California is a big place, you know.”

  “Don’t be a smart ass. Let me think. There has to be a way…” she said, trailing off as her mind set to work.

  I considered her words for a while, it sounded ridiculous but Fiona always made things sound feasible and completely within reach. As if I only had to do one simple thing to make my dreams come true. To reach out and touch the stars. But this was reality, and my feet were firmly planted on the ground.

  “Do you not have any clue? Surely he mentioned something… Maybe where his ex was living?”

  “I don’t know, if I did I can’t remember,” was the best response I had at the moment. “I don’t even know where to start.”

  “Where there’s a will, there’s a way, babe. You rack that little brain of yours, I might have an idea. There’s an investigator at the law firm I could call.”

  “Wait. Kadee did mention where her new stepdad worked. He’s some kind of big shot dentist I think. Dentist to the stars… She called it Reed medical or something.”

  “Close enough, time to get your Google on, girl! And I’ve probably got the air miles you’ll need once we know exactly where you need to go.”

  Was I really doing this? Was I about to chase a man across the country and declare… declare what? My love? Tell him I needed him and that he should come back… abandon his daughter and be with me instead? I groaned just thinking how selfish the idea was. But I had to at least tell him how I felt, right? Maybe somehow we’d find a solution, for Kadee to return too.

  I had no idea what I could expect, I just wasn’t going to wake up another day not knowing. I grabbed my hastily packed case and rushed out the door to hurry for my flight. I flung my case in the back seat and was about to jump in the front when I heard someone driving up behind me. I presumed it was the mailman because of the time of day but when I turned I saw the back of Derek’s truck pulling into his drive. My heart lurched and I braced myself, pressing a hand against the steel of my truck. Unable to believe my eyes.

  Stunned, I could only blink in his direction. What on earth?

  Derek got out and started toward me. His look weary, tired eyes, his hair ruffled as if he’d been up all night. But his smile grew as he approached. All the emotions of the past days suddenly collided together within me. Then a rush of violent, vulnerable anger burst free.

  “Where the hell have you been? I thought—” I yelled, choking back the tears. “What’s going on?”

  My sudden outburst stopped him in his tracks as a look of puzzlement crested onto his face.

  “Have you any idea what I was about to do?” I continued, practically shaking with relief that he was here.

  “Erm, no?” he replied with a half shrug and an indulgent smile. That only made me more irate. How could he smile at me like that when I’d been such a mess? Desperate and anxious, going out of my mind… all because I was falling in love.

  “Of course not… did you even think for a minute that—”

  “Think about what?” he asked with clear confusion.

  “About me!” I yelled. My hands flew to my face to cover my eyes and the hot tears that tumbled free.

  “I haven’t stopped thinking about you,” he replied, yelling to match my loudness, his irritation clearly rising.

  “You have a funny way of showing that, disappearing like that leaving me to think—”

  My sentence was cut off as he closed the space between us and took hold of me in his strong arms, kissing me deeper than he ever had before. His passion immediately silenced all my doubts and fears, all my pain.

  I was swept up in the intense whirlwind as he lifted me almost off my feet. I met his kisses with my own sudden immense desire. Our lips, our bodies, had missed each other and they were making up for the last couple of days apart.

  “I thought you had left town. For good,” I whispered breathlessly with a brief pause, “I thought I’d lost you.”

  “Not a chance. I flew Kadee home. I got the red-eye back this morning. I couldn’t wait to see you.”

  “She’s gone?” I replied, my heart faltering at the news.

  He nodded.

  “I’ll miss her.”

  “Me too…”

  “Come here,” I said and reached out. Wanting to comfort him and ease our mutual pain.

  With sadness in his eyes, Derek took hold of my face with his warm hands and kissed me once again. Lips melting against mine. Then he looked deep into my eyes. The flood of emotion and relief I felt combined with the sudden intensity of his advance had sparked a now roaring fire. He could clearly see it in my eyes and the look he returned only fanned the flames.

  I was about to lean in to kiss him again when he lifted me up into his arms. I flung my arm around his neck for support as he carried me around the side of the house. I studied him and stroked his face, grazing over the stubble on his chin. Then my fingers found their way into his hair.

  Derek dropped me by the back door where I quickly opened up and let us in. His hands were on me the whole time, and by the time we’d moved into the kitchen he had hold of me again. I was pinned against the counter as his urgent roaming hands explored me and our lips met fiercely. He was tugging open the buttons on my top as I shoved aside the stuff on the counter, not caring as the items clattered to the floor. He lifted me onto the surface and pushed up to me as I wrapped my thighs around him. I looked into his heavenly eyes now at my level.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you what was happening. I’ve was caught up with everything going on, and I wanted to be sure of things. I never
wanted you to think I’d left without even saying goodbye.”

  “Are you sure of things now?” I asked, not certain what he meant but knowing from his smile it was something good.

  “More than I have ever been,” he replied running his fingers delightfully into my hair.

  He tugged open my blouse, his teasing fingers wandered up and down my skin followed by delicious tingles that had me gasping for more. I ripped open his shirt in return wanting to stroke his firm chest. His warm lips sank into my neck as our hands worked over each other with appreciation.

  I tugged at his belt while he kicked off his boots. He threw down his jeans and grabbed my shoes slipping them off and discarded them in the corner as well. A sense of urgency overtook us. He couldn’t wait and neither could I.

  Derek pushed up close to me again sliding his hands down my tummy to take hold of the waist button on my jeans, I smiled and watched his eyes with anticipation. He unbuttoned me roughly and helped me wriggle my ass out of the jeans, then landed me back onto the cold counter. Once they were dealt with he then slid his hands all the way back up my legs achingly slowly until they were back on my hips.

  I let out a quiet whimper and coiled my legs around his to hold him to me, indulging in the warmth of his skin close to mine. I slid out of my blouse and threw it around his neck, taken hold of it both sides I pulled him back to my lips. We kissed slowly and deeply while he worked me out of my bra and started caress my exposed breasts lovingly. I was in rapture now holding him tight, the smell of him, the touch of his fingers consuming me. I didn’t want this feeling to end. I kept stroking at his rippling muscles as his lips wandered from my neck to play across my breasts. He lavished them with more attention than I might of imagined. His lips and firm tongue teased around them, and they hardened in response.

  As desire overtook me I reached down to the hard bulge in his shorts rubbing and stroking until I elicited a moan from Derek’s mouth. I smile tugged at my lips, my strokes harder, more insistent now.