“What?” His eyebrows winged up, and he put his hands on his hips.
“Why aren’t you playing guitar? You play guitar every night at this time.”
He shook his head. “I have company.”
“Well, you’re very good at guitar. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind listening to it for a few minutes.” Mani screamed louder. Desperate, Kalia strode in, noting that the layout to his home was the same as hers. Getting a fleeting impression of dark colors and sparse furniture, she moved past him into the living room. “Hello,” she said to the gorgeous brunette curled up on the dark leather sofa. “Would you mind very much if … he,” she gestured vaguely, realizing that she didn’t know his name, “played guitar for a few minutes? Just a few minutes. It won’t take long.”
Mack followed her in. “Renee, this is my neighbor, half of the gay couple that lives next door, and her screaming baby,” he said wryly.
Kalia’s eyebrows shot up. “Yup, that’s me. The lesbian from next door,” she said with some chagrin. Is that what the neighborhood thought? She was living under a rock. “And we just need a little guitar music if you don’t mind.” She spied two guitars leaning on stands across the room and waved in their direction. “Whichever works.” Time’s a wastin’.
Renee uncurled herself from the sofa and stood up like a graceful reed. “Look, I gotta go,” she said to Mack, and carelessly planted a peck on his cheek. “I’ll catch up with you in the next few days,” she said as she shuffled her feet daintily into barely there sandals and hitched a designer bag over her shoulder.
“Oh. Please don’t go on my account. This won’t take long,” Kalia said, feeling a pang of guilt at breaking up the date. “His guitar playing is pretty good.”
The tall brunette gave a sultry laugh and strolled out.
“Pretty good?” He rested his hands on his hips.
“All right. It’s very good. Please, just play,” Kalia said as Mani wailed.
Mack picked up the guitar and, sitting on a nearby chair, started playing the song he had been polishing for the last two weeks.
As the lively notes filled the air, Kalia swayed to the rhythm and Mani quieted. She gave a large sigh as Mani’s eyes slowly closed and his breathing steadied. She glanced over at Mack, who was engrossed in his playing.
Kalia looked longingly at the sofa. Not wanting to disrupt Mani, she sat down, cradling Mani on her chest. Oh, it was so comfortable. And the blessed relief from the heat in the air-conditioning was heavenly. The temptation to put her feet up and stretch out on the sofa was too much. She positioned herself comfortably, cradling Mani as he curled up on her chest and let the music flow around her. Just ten minutes, she thought as she closed her eyes.
Mack was absorbed in the music. He made a minute change and played it again, then once more, listening intently to the effect and trying to decide if that was better, more layered. Pleased with the change, he looked around for his recorder so he could upload it to share it with Pete and Tuck. With a start, he realized that Gay Momma and Screaming Baby were still there. Like Goldilocks and the three bears, just make yourself at home, he thought with a grimace.
Gay Momma was sound asleep stretched out on the sofa. Screaming Baby was quietly curled up on her chest. They both hardly moved, and a bit anxiously he walked over to listen for the sound of their breathing.
It was the first time he’d really looked at Gay Momma. She was a tiny slip of a thing. Fully stretched out, her feet didn’t touch the end of the sofa. Brown curls were pulled carelessly in a tail, which she’d loosened to one side. Her fine features looked serene in sleep. A little bit different from the wild, manic expression that had greeted him earlier. Screaming Baby stirred, smacked his lips, and settled again. Mack held his breath.
Now what? He checked his watch. He had been playing for over an hour. Should he wake them? Get them out?
He had been away all weekend and had just returned from a whirlwind gig in Germany. It was an audition of sorts. It still irritated him that they all had to go over to Germany for three days and play live. But a gig’s a gig. And it was all expenses paid, first class. So they’d gone. And it had been extremely well received. Renee was the band’s agent, and she had dropped by to celebrate the contract they had received as a result of it. It was a fourteen-day concert tour in Europe tentatively scheduled for early next spring. The details were still being hammered out, so he wouldn’t get too excited about it yet, but it looked good.
But the jet lag was hitting him. Even after only three days, he felt it. So what should he do with these two? Wake them? And risk more screaming baby? No can do.
He couldn’t just leave Screaming Baby like that. What if Gay Momma rolled over and dumped him? More screaming, he thought with a shudder. Would the little guy crawl around? Seemed like a lot of hazards around the room. Maybe he should just wake them and send them home. Be easiest.
He looked at her exhausted face and sighed.
He glanced over at his guitar case. It was big enough and it was lined with faux fur, so it was soft. What did babies need?
He dragged it over and eyed the sleeping duo. Carefully, he lifted Screaming Baby off Gay Momma’s chest. His fingers brushed her breasts through the thin fabric of her sundress. She’s gay, he told himself.
The baby was lighter than he expected, and he snuggled up in the guitar case and went back to sleep. Mack released the breath he was holding. He covered Gay Momma with a light blanket and, shutting off the lights, wondered how long they’d sleep for.
Chapter 13
Kalia sat up with a start, not recognizing where she was. She heard Mani’s whimper and looked down, and she smiled when she saw him moving restlessly inside the guitar case.
Her next-door neighbor’s house, she mused. She hadn’t slept so well in ages. Comfy couch. And she must start saving for air conditioning. It was such a relief.
“Hungry, little guy?” she crooned as she picked Mani up.
Her dress wasn’t the most convenient for breastfeeding, but it had been unusually warm, and her only priority at the time had been to stay cool. She struggled, trying to pull down a shoulder, but it was too tight. She lifted it up, but the extra fabric got in the way. Resigned, as Mani’s cries started to escalate, she lifted the dress over her head and threw it over the edge of the sofa. Wearing only lace panties, she held Mani against her bare skin and offered him her breast. He quickly rooted, latched on, and sucked vigorously.
She sat back, enjoying the feel of the cool leather. She was a bit embarrassed that she’d fallen asleep. She hadn’t felt Mani being moved. She hugged him tighter.
The last three nights had been especially hard. There hadn’t been any guitar playing, and the colic had seemed to go on forever. And Mani had been even more restless. She wasn’t sure if he was teething or if it was just too hot, but neither of them got much sleep.
She felt tears prick at the back of her eyes.
And then she’d barged in on her neighbor and insisted he play. Scared away his date. Jeez, what had she been thinking? She didn’t need to add an angry neighbor to the list of relationships she sucked at. She wondered what time it was. It seemed light out. Her breasts were really full and tender. Had Mani slept through the night?
As Mani sucked contentedly, she thought about how the sexy neighbor had introduced her. The gay couple. She winced. She hadn’t been out much in the neighborhood. Krista had done the shopping and the gardening, greeted the mailman and newspaper boy, and generally chatted with the neighbors who popped by. Was that what they had been told? Or did they just assume? It wasn’t a bad idea. So far, people had been really friendly. They had dropped off pies and muffins and casseroles, and everything had been gratefully accepted and eaten.
Maybe Kalia wouldn’t say anything. She had no intention of getting involved with anyone for a long while. Dating with a baby at home would be complicated. She had no energy for the complicated.
Mani let go of her breast with a pop. Kalia patted his bac
k, and when he burped, she snuggled him and put him to the other breast. He eagerly sucked, resting his little hand on the curve of her breast. Kalia smiled down, stroking his hair, and then leaned her head back on the sofa and closed her eyes.
Mack stood watching them from the doorway. He had thrown on jeans and reluctantly got up when he heard Screaming Baby’s cries, wondering if they needed the house alarm off to leave. He stopped at the picture they made.
Gay Momma was beautiful. Sitting almost naked, completely relaxed on the sofa, with a serene expression, as the baby sucked at her breast. Ouch, he thought. He was a noisy little one.
He shouldn’t watch, but those breasts, the tiny waist, the scrap of lace. He had to swallow. Off limits, he reminded himself. The small fry didn’t look like he would want to share. And neither would he, he thought uneasily. He rubbed a hand over his face, trying to wipe away the cobwebs of jet lag and debating whether to leave them or go in. He sighed. Should’ve sent them home last night.
Kalia looked up at the sound in the doorway. Her eyes popped open as her smokin’ hot neighbor rubbed his sleepy eyes. That was under his T-shirt? Oh my. Broad smooth shoulders, a rippling six-pack, and dark hair that started at his waist and disappeared below the low-slung jeans. He had the body of a swimmer, all muscle, lean and strong. Sleepy sex, and yes, I am not gay.
But she was sitting almost naked on his sofa, she thought, flustered. She reached for her dress and caught his attention.
She smiled wanly. “Uh, hi,” she said. The dress was out of reach, so she looked around for the baby’s blanket.
“Hi,” he said, looking everywhere but at her.
He walked toward her, and she stilled. He reached down at her feet and handed her the baby blanket, looking in her eyes but not saying a word. His gaze swept over her face, looking at her intently, and then swept down.
He cleared his throat as she draped the blanket over Mani and her exposed breasts.
“This is awkward,” she said. “I fell asleep?”
He nodded. “Out like a light.”
“Uh, sorry about that. What time is it?”
“Little after five a.m.”
“Really? Oh that’s great. Mani slept through the night.” Kalia smiled broadly.
“Congratulations,” he said dryly. “You’re excited to sleep in until five a.m.?”
She laughed as she lifted Mani to burp and adjusted the blanket. “Yup. It’s a milestone. Six hours of uninterrupted sleep. Woohoo!”
Kalia kissed the top of Mani’s head as he let out a burp. “I should go. He needs to be changed,” she said as she spread out the blanket on the sofa and set Mani down. She stood up and picked up her dress, then lifted her arms above her head and slipped it over her head. She wiggled into it, letting the fabric fall over her bare skin.
She reached down and picked up Mani and his blanket and then turned to look at her neighbor.
Kalia had become more comfortable with her body through the whole process with the baby. All the check-ups, labor and delivery, and breastfeeding had more or less desensitized her to people seeing her naked. But the look in his eyes made her stop.
“Th-thank you very much for letting us stay here,” she stuttered. “It was the best sleep I’ve had in a while. The heat was really starting to get to us. Your air conditioning is heavenly. And that sofa is very comfortable. The little bed you made for Mani was so cute. I’m so sorry we overstayed, but it was lovely and quiet.” She backed out of the room. “And your music is fantastic. The perfect thing for soothing Mani. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it,” she rambled. She hated rambling. She shifted Mani to her other hip. “Well, we should go. Get out of your way. Thanks again. See you around.” She waved vaguely and left out the front door.
He hadn’t moved. She swallowed. Holy cow. The real estate agent hadn’t mentioned the best selling feature of her new house – the sexy next-door neighbor.
Chapter 14
A few days later, Kalia pulled into the driveway, shut off the ignition, and sat. Another grocery shopping trip done. Almost. She still had to carry in the groceries.
Mani started to fuss. He was in the backseat, rear-facing in his car seat. He was good while the car was moving, but as soon as it stopped, he fussed. Same in the grocery cart. No more perusing the nutrition labels or scrutinizing the produce. Grocery shopping was a mission. Get in, get what they needed, and get out.
Now she had the usual dilemma. Should she leave Mani in the car and carry the bags inside, or should she carry Mani inside and run back out for the groceries?
Probably safer to have him inside first. He could stay in his car seat. He would probably be screaming a blue streak by the time she finished carrying everything in, but the thought of someone snatching him out of the car was far worse.
She opened the door and stepped out.
Mack sat on his front step enjoying the sunshine and warm breeze. He needed to clear his head after an intense morning. The song lyrics had been a struggle and then Renee had called. The tour in Europe looked like a go. They were hammering out dates and terms and would fax the contract in the next few days.
Mack needed the music. It was as essential as breathing, and he could play and write all day and not notice the time passing.
The administrative shit was the opposite. Two minutes of talking terms and contracts gave him a headache. But if they wanted to play the music, they needed to iron out the shit. So he did it. In small doses. Hence the break on the front step, eating an apple and thinking that procrastination could be addictive. It was very relaxing.
He watched his neighbor pull into her driveway. Gay Momma looked tired, he thought as she turned off the car and let her head fall back on the headrest. He supposed it couldn’t be easy dealing with Screaming Baby day in and day out. The kid was growing and had sprouted a mop of black hair. He was pretty cute. When he wasn’t screaming.
Gay Momma got out of the car. She opened the rear door and leaned in to unbuckle Screaming Baby. He was gurgling back as Gay Momma kept up a running conversation with him. Mack couldn’t make out what she said, but the small fry seemed to like it. She lifted the car seat, with the baby in it, out of the car. She stepped back, caught her foot on the edge of the driveway, and teetered backward.
Mack jumped off the front step and raced toward her. He watched as Gay Momma, in the midst of falling backward, hugged the car seat close and, as if someone had pushed her upright, slowly righted herself. He slid to a stop next to her and put out a hand to steady her, but she had already caught her balance.
“Oh my God, thank you so much. I thought I was going to drop him,” she said, looking a bit shaken.
“How did you do that?” Mack asked.
“Do what?”
“Right yourself. You looked like you were going down and going down hard.”
“It was you. I felt your hand on my back.” She looked toward his house. “You were fast.”
“It wasn’t me. I was sitting on the front step and saw you fall. You were up by the time I got here. I’m fast,” he said with a crooked grin, “but not that fast.”
“Really? But I felt a hand on my back. It wasn’t you?” she asked with a frown.
“No.” He laughed. “You must have a guardian angel.”
She looked at him intently. “What?”
“I said you must have a guardian angel. Or excellent core strength,” he said appreciatively. “Good save, Momma.” He grinned, and glanced at the baby, who started to fuss. “Here, I can carry him inside for you.” He reached for the car seat.
“Thanks,” she said, still distracted, and passed the infant seat to him. “I’ll grab some of the groceries.”
“Watch your step.”
Gay Momma grabbed a bag of groceries and then moved ahead to unlock the front door and hold it open. “Go on through to the kitchen in the back. It’s the same layout as your place,” she said, following him in. “You can set Mani down. I’ll leave him strapped in while I carry
in the rest of the groceries.”
Mani gurgled and squirmed. When his mom walked away, Mani screwed up his face and let out a howl.
“Whoa, big guy. Relax. She’ll be right back.”
Gay Momma stopped in the doorway and sighed. “He doesn’t like sitting still.”
Mack nodded sympathetically. “Look, why don’t you spring him, and I’ll get the groceries.”
“He’s really fine,” Gay Momma reassured him.
Mani howled again.
Mack laughed. “You know how to get what you want, don’t you, big guy?” He went out and returned with four bags of groceries. Gay Momma had unbuckled Mani and set him on a blanket on the floor with his toys. Mani gurgled happily and grabbed a rattle.
“Thanks very much,” she said to Mack. “You can set them on the counter. You know, I don’t know your name.”
“Mack,” he said. “Mack Challen.” He waited for the dawn of recognition.
Nothing.
She smiled. “Hi, I’m Kalia. We’ve enjoyed listening to your music. I know I mentioned this the other day, but it’s the only thing that soothes Mani when he’s cranky and it helps him fall asleep.”
“Really?” Mack said, laughing. That wasn’t quite the reaction he’d hoped for with his new song. Maybe their publicist could use that for the next CD release to increase their fan base. “It’s not too loud?” The previous neighbors had been a real pain about that.
“No, not at all. We love it.”
“Thanks. Well, you’ll be getting a bit of a break from it. I’ll be away for a couple of weeks next month.”
Kalia grimaced. “Please don’t tell me that. I can’t get Mani to sleep unless you play. Two weeks. Ugh. It’ll feel like a lifetime. Do you think you could record it for me? I could even give you my cell phone, and we could record it on that.”
Mack imagined the fit his agent would have if she found out he had pre-released a song and given it away for free.
“Please. It’s my lifeline.”
Perfectly Unpredictable Page 7