I examined the writing again before dropping my head onto the picnic table and banging it a few times. He was right. I could totally see it. Heat flared uncontrollably over my cheeks and my neck. I figured right then would be a good time to just go ahead and die so I didn’t have to face him or my mortification. This was why I needed to keep my opinions to myself. I’d thrown an epic-size fit all for nothing and there were people who witnessed it. I raised my head, ready to bring it back down for another bang on the table when I saw his palm before my next strike. He’d slid his hand under to cushion my blow. Slowly looking up, I shrugged.
“So, how about them Dodgers?”
He let out a laugh again. His laughs were contagious, and I couldn’t help but smile just hearing it. “Hey, I have a favor to ask. Well, rather it’s my brother Tristan’s favor.”
That was a change of topic if I ever heard one. “Okay?” I was somewhat reluctant. “Is this why he was at the office today?” I wondered how much he would tell me.
“Partially.” Damon seemed to be thinking of what to say, which only made me more concerned. “Sorta. He was there for two reasons. First, this morning someone reported suspicious activity in phase three and he was just checking in.”
Could he hear my heart beating? ’Cause I could hear my heart beating, it was thumping like a fucking marching band. “What kind of suspicious activity?” Shit, my voice just cracked. Way to go, Katy, way to sound guilty.
“Not sure. My brother Kayson was on duty and heard the call come in . . .”
His brother Kayson was on duty? He has a brother who’s a cop? Holy shit. I didn’t like cops. They had the power to take my daughter away from me. Even if the courts gave her back to me, it was still the thought of those few days or weeks without her that was enough to keep me up at night. And all for what? Not being able to afford a house so I slept in homes?
“The caller thought they saw two people running from one of the model homes, so the police will keep an eye on the area for us. But that isn’t what I wanted to talk to you about.”
Holy shit, holy shit. Okay, think, Katy, think. This was no biggie, right? We were going to the motel tonight, right? Yeah. We wouldn’t be back there. Everything would be okay.
“What do you think?” Damon waved his hand in front of my face. “Did I lose you there?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. What?” I picked up my sandwich and took a huge bite that should keep me from saying something stupid.
“I asked if you would be interested in house-sitting.”
I swallowed, almost choking before sputtering out a confused, “House-sitting?”
“Yes, Tristan left today for a medical conference in Cork, Ireland, and he’ll be gone for ten days. His normal house-sitter canceled, and he was going to come by to see if I could find someone when all the other stuff happened.”
“Does he know that I have an eight-year-old daughter?”
“I told him. But Tristan loves kids. He’s a neonatal doctor. Wait a minute, I have a better idea.”
“What’s that?” I took another bite, worried that this seemed to all be working out way too smoothly. If I was house-sitting, I wouldn’t have to go to a motel and could save the money.
“You and Bee stay at my house, I’ll stay at Tristan’s. He doesn’t have a pool. Bee would probably be bored. Can Bee swim?”
“Yes, she can swim. But she can be bored. I’m not going to inconvenience you.”
“Nah, it’s fine. You can invite me to dinner.” He gave me a crooked smile. A mouthwatering, panty-dropping smile. Uhhh.
The little devil and angel that sat on my shoulders started warring with each other over what to do.
Katy that is a beastly thing to do. You cannot allow him to give up his home for you. He has been so kind. No sense in him giving up his bed as well. Why did my fucking angel speak with a British accent?
Yo, don’t give up that bed, ’cause I’m gonna join ya. Umm, delish.
And my devil was obviously from Jersey. I was seriously losing it.
“That is, of course, if you are okay leaving your home to do it. What do you say?” Damon gathered our garbage from lunch and stuffed it back into the bag. “You can go get Bee after work and bring her to the office, then follow me to the house so I can show you around.”
I was still trying to take it all in, but I nodded anyway. “Yeah, I’ll do it, but we’ll stay at Tristan’s. Thank you for the offer, though. I just wouldn’t feel right. You’re my boss, and I want to keep my personal and professional lives separate.”
Damon drove, and I tried to keep myself distracted. Especially after he opened a tin of Altoids and offered me one. The entire cab of the truck smelled of peppermint. The strong scent tickled my nose. Damn it, visions of sitting curled up on his lap, telling him I’d been a good girl all year and deserved his package danced in my head.
I was fucked.
I’d gone almost nine years without sex, and in less than two weeks I was fantasizing about my boss. My motherfucking paycheck-providing boss.
“Sooo.” My voice was way too sing-songy. “You just have the two brothers?”
“No. There’s also Ian. He’s between Kayson and Tristan in age.”
“What does he do?”
“He’s a rocket scientist.”
I let out a laugh. “Wait, what? So, your brothers are basically the epitome of any joke.”
“I don’t get it.” Damon glanced quickly at me before turning his focus back to the road.
“Your one brother can cuff you and carries a nightstick. Tristan can tell people, ‘Trust me, I’m a doctor,’ and Ian is a rocket scientist. The three of them pretty much sum up most jokes. All you need is a priest and rabbi to walk into a bar, and you have the whole kit and caboodle covered.”
“I never really thought about it that way.” He let out a chuckle and shook his head, clearly amused. “You know about my family. What about yours?” Damon turned to me as we sat at the red light. “Your parents, are they still around?”
“Nope. It’s just Bee and me.” I saw the pity on his face when I said that, but I didn’t want pity. I liked having just the two of us. This way, no one could break our hearts. We didn’t have any expectations. Not to mention, we were better off.
Chapter 11
Damon
I kept an eye on my rearview mirror to ensure that Katy didn’t fall behind as she followed me.
I let out a groan as I turned onto my street. I call it my street since only my family lives on it and my dad named it. Halfway down was a side street that led to my cousin Sophie’s home where no other outside traffic passed . . . ever; it was a fucking folding table with balloons tied to the legs and a poster that read: Lemonade.
Two of Sophie’s daughters were standing there, waving and shouting for me to stop, so I did.
“What are you two doing?”
“Come out, Uncle Damon, you have to buy some lemonade.”
“I’m in a hurry. Can I come back?” I watched as Harlow whispered something to Gianna right before she opened her mouth and let out an ear-splitting scream for her mom.
“Okay, okay. Stop, Gianna. I’m getting out, you little extortionist. How much is the lemonade?”
“Five dollars.”
“Five dollars? Don’t you mean five cents?”
“You can’t buy anything for five cents. It’s five dollars. Don’t you want to buy a cup for Bee and her mommy?”
“How do you know that Bee and her mommy are in that car?” I asked, looking to where Katy had pulled over. I could barely tell it was her in there, and I knew it was them.
“My mommy told me they were coming.” Harlow poured two extra cups and waved to Katy’s car.
Shit. I should have known that when Tristan told Sophie that she wouldn’t have left this alone. She always had to meddle in stuff.
“What’s all the shouting about?” Sophie hollered from her yard.
“Nothing, Mommy, just doing what you told us to do.”
“Really?” I held out both hands, she knew exactly what was going on.
Sophie let out a giggle and waved to someone. I watched as Carter came out of their house carrying Avril, their infant. When Stella followed, I sighed. Turning at the sound of a car door, I saw Bee and Katy get out. Harlow ran to them, Gianna hot on her heels.
“What’s going on?” Kayson asked as he joined the group walking toward us.
“Why am I not surprised? What are you doing here?” I said in a half-whisper, half-snarl voice.
“I get home at six, and it’s just after six.” He turned and gestured to his fiancée. “Ariel and I were just coming out to get our weekly lemonade.”
“Weekly? You and I both know that this isn’t weekly. What are you playing at?” I raised one brow. He may be the deputy and used to giving people the third degree, but I was the oldest brother and could still intimidate.
“Ariel and the girls just wanted a way to meet Katy and make her feel welcomed.”
I groaned. “And Stella? Is she going to behave?”
“It’s Stella, that’s a stupid question. You might as well shake one of those Magic Eight balls, your odds of getting the right answer would be about the same.” Kayson reached out and wrapped one arm around Ariel, then introduced her to Katy.
Leaning against my truck, I crossed my ankles and folded my arms, this was going to take a while, so the least I could do was enjoy the show of horrible acting.
“Hey, Stella, how are you? I didn’t know you were here.” I grinned at Ariel’s forced excitement.
“I’m great, Ariel.” Umm, should I tell them using their names so blatantly didn’t make this situation feel fake at all? “Have you noticed how big Avril’s getting?”
“Let me hold her.” Ariel reached, her acting skills getting worse by the minute.
I turned to Katy and mouthed sorry.
She shrugged.
“Don’t be rude, Damon, introduce us,” Stella said.
I looked to the sky and prayed for the patience not to slaughter them all.
“Honestly, I’m surprised that you didn’t write introductions into your screenplay—oomph!” I doubled over as Kayson’s elbow hit my ribs.
“Fine. This is Katy, and that is her daughter Bee. Katy is my new assistant and Tristan asked if she’d house-sit for him while he’s at the conference. You know Sophie and Carter from the community center. This is my brother Kayson, and the horrible actress is Ariel. She’s Kayson’s fiancée. The angry-looking one is Stella,” I said the last part under my breath and felt the heel of Stella’s boot connect with my shin. Katy nodded, not looking the least bit put off by my description of them. In fact, she became a different person with Sophie and Carter. They knew her, knew Bee, and there was a trust with them that she didn’t have with me. A part of me was jealous.
I pulled my wallet out of my pocket, I wanted to get Katy and Bee alone, I wanted to get her to relax like that around me. “Now that the niceties are done, can I buy the damn—”
“Uh oh,” Harlow and Bee said in unison, catching my cuss word. Of course they did, that was when people would actually listen to me.
The adults all smirked.
“May I buy the lemonade? It was five dollars, right?”
Sophie leaned down and whispered something to Harlow. “Sorry, Uncle Damon, but there is a bug in that lemonade. You’ll have to come into the house so I can get you some fresh lemonade.”
I took a step closer because I knew damn well there was no fucking bug. I jumped as lemonade splashed on my shoes, and I looked up to meet the devious smile of my cousin. “Oops. Sorry. I knocked it over.”
“Why don’t you come inside Katy so that Harlow and Bee can play while we make new lemonade?” Sophie invited.
“I’d rather get settled in first if you don’t mind, maybe later. It’s been an overwhelming day.”
“You mean they’ve been overwhelming,” I whispered to Katy, but I was loud enough for everyone to hear me. I respected Katy so much more at that moment, she was being diplomatic while I was ready to commit murder. “I did mention that there was no keeping things personal around here, right?”
I’d intended my words as a joke, but something in them had made Katy freeze up. She threw her shoulders back and lifted her chin. Great, just fucking great. I’d lost any progress that I’d made with her.
Idiots, I mouthed as I turned and strode back to my truck and jumped in, slamming the door hard enough that I worried about the glass shattering.
Chapter 12
Katy
I pulled in front of Tristan’s house and got out; the place was beautiful. A Southern, plantation-style home with an archway entrance. There were French doors and a balcony at each upstairs front window.
Bee bounded for the front steps. “Is there a pool?” She turned and walked backward as she directed her questions at Damon.
“Not here, but I have one at my house, and you and your mom can come use it anytime. Your mom said that you knew how to swim.”
“Yep. Mom promised to teach me how to dive this summer. Didn’t you, Mom?”
“Yes. But we can talk about that later. Let’s go inside and look around.” I held out my hand to take Bee’s before she tripped over her feet as I climbed the steps.
When we walked inside, I was glad that I was holding firm; several times I had to tighten my grip on my kid or she’d be off running every which way.
“Guest bedrooms and a giant family room are upstairs.” Damon pointed to the sprawling staircase.
“Can I go upstairs and look?” Bee asked.
“No,” I said.
“Yes,” Damon answered at the same time.
Bee looked back and forth between each of us as if debating whom she was going to listen to. I acquiesced, subtly nodding as I released her hand. She took off.
“Come on, let me show you around down here.” Damon placed his hand on my back and ushered me toward the kitchen. “So, the house is pretty well-stocked, eat all you want. It will just go bad by the time he returns anyway.”
I leaned against the kitchen island, listening to the sound of my daughter running across the floors upstairs.
“I’m sorry,” I said, directing my stare toward the ceiling, already apologizing for whatever Bee did.
“It’s okay, let her have fun.”
I kept my gaze on the ceiling because I was afraid that if I lowered my eyes, I’d look into his, and they reminded me of the sun. Not in color, but in consequences. I was positive that if I looked deep into those chocolaty depths that I’d get burned.
The kitchen that seemed so large seconds ago suddenly felt a little claustrophobic.
“I’m being so rude. Can I get you something to drink before we move on?” Damon reached around me and opened a cabinet before pulling down two glasses.
“Nah. Just show me whatever I need to know.”
“Okay, how about the most important thing. Well, the most important for Bee, the remote controls.”
I followed him into the living room, where he proceeded to pick up several remotes and said what each was for as he held it out, satellite, cable, television, Apple TV. It had been nine years since I had non-stop television access, and while I watched the occasional show in work break rooms or at the shelters, even I knew that four remotes were overkill.
“Hmm, seems he likes things simplified,” I said sarcastically.
“I know, right? But he’s like me, we know how these work, so we never saw the need to simplify. Let’s move on. You saw the kitchen, Tristan’s bedroom and bathroom, dining room, living room, and two other bathrooms are also on the first floor.”
Wow. I’d been staying in a large model home, but this place was ginormous. “How many bedrooms?”
“Five.”
We walked past a giant grandfather clock just as it chimed seven times. “I better put something on for dinner if we’re going to eat before bed. I’m not even sure if there’s anything to cook.”
“Let’s look.” He slid past me and into the kitchen where he pulled out the freezer drawer. “He has some shrimp, that thaws fast.”
“That sounds good.”
He got to work thawing the seafood, and I tilted my head, realizing for the first time that I couldn’t hear Bee running anymore. “I’d better go check on Bee.” I went in search, Damon close on my heels. As I moved up the stairs, I inhaled the scent of peppermint and a woodsy aroma. It was sweet and earthy—hell, even the scent seemed to follow him everywhere he went. I seriously needed to reconsider staying here, my nine years of celibacy were in danger. I wondered for the briefest moment if I’d ever be able to date. Maybe once I had some stability for Bee and me, but right then I just needed to get through the next ten days.
Upstairs, Damon was the one to find her, and he stood in a doorway staring and smiling as if he’d just seen an angel. Quietly moving to stand next to him, I saw her.
What he thought was adorable crushed me. Bee was curled up on top of the bed. She’d found a blanket somewhere and spread it out and then laid on top of it. Damon moved into the room and sat on the edge of the bed. Gently, making sure not to wake her, he pulled off her shoes and then pulled the covers free so he could tuck them around her.
“Come on, let’s let her sleep.”
My God, my kid didn’t even know how to sleep in a bed. The thought ripped my heart. I worked to slow the beating and my guilt from seeing Bee as I followed him back downstairs and into the kitchen, where we both got to work. I’d let Bee sleep until dinner was ready.
Using my phone, I pulled up a recipe for a simple Alfredo sauce and then searched the refrigerator and cabinet to make sure Tristan had everything. Pleasantly surprised, I pulled the ingredients out and set them on the counter.
Impact (Iron Orchids Book 3) Page 7