Never Saw it Coming

by Bernadette Marie

  “You’re not doing this because of what he said are you?”

  Mike shook his head and moved to her, wrapping his arm around her again, keeping her close. “No, I’ve pretty much wanted to do that since I sat down at your bar the first day. You take my breath away.”

  “No, I think you just did that to me.”

  “I mean it. I won’t let you down on purpose if you keep me in your life. And, now you know where I stand.”

  She stared up at him, enjoying the feel of his arms around her and his breath against her cheek. Chandra bit down on her bottom lip and wondered how long something like this could last. It hadn’t been a lie. She was horrible at relationships. They usually didn’t last a month. But she couldn’t help but want to see what Mike had to offer.

  Gazing into those crystal blue eyes, she saw something more. There was a gracious heart in this family man, and he wanted to be with her. Or did he really?

  She pushed back and broke from his embrace. Wrapping her arms around herself, she looked out the window, down to the dark street below.

  “Why did you do that?”

  “Kiss you?”

  “Yes,” she said as she turned to him. “What does a man want when he kisses a woman only a few days after meeting her?”

  When his eyes went wide, she figured she’d crossed a line, but she held strong and continued, “I’ve been in this business a long time. This isn’t the first place I’ve tended bar. Men come to drink their sorrows away and get laid.”

  “And you think that’s what I’m doing?”

  “You’re a man,” her answer was direct and blunt.

  He nodded and ran his hand over the new growth of whiskers on his chin. “Well then, I guess you know where I stand and I know where you stand.” Mike walked to the door and pulled it open. “Well, Ms. Chavez, I guess this is goodnight. If you wouldn’t mind texting me the address of the soccer game for Saturday, I’d appreciate it.”

  Chandra stood there at a loss for words. She was supposed to have told him how she felt and walked out. Now she was being escorted out.

  As she walked toward the door, she took a breath to say something, but then she wasn’t sure what to say, and that was when Mike closed the door between them.

  ~*~

  Chandra’s drive home seemed longer than usual, and she only lived a few miles away. But she’d found herself driving slowly, watching the snow fall and catch the street lights. Somehow she managed to drive down the streets Jason walked every day from school, and she saw the house Mike had been telling her about.

  She stopped in the middle of the street and watched the moon shine against it as the snow collected in its yard. For the first time in her life, she could see the potential in something dark and ugly, just as she assumed Mike had seen.

  Chandra continued on home and parked her car out front. She usually parked in back, but tonight she needed to appreciate it as a home. For a moment after she turned off the engine, she sat there and watched the snow glisten in the light from her porch. Many memories had been made in that house. It had always been hers and Jason’s. She’d bought it with her inheritance from her father, and shortly after her mother moved in to help her. What would Chandra have done if she hadn’t stepped up and taken on that role that a husband or a present father might have?

  Tears came to Chandra’s eyes, and she quickly wiped them away. She’d long ago given up even thinking of a husband for her or a father figure for her son. Gabe wasn’t the only one who fell into a child. Only his story had a happy ending.

  Oh, who was she kidding? Her story was just as happy. She had the world’s greatest son, what did it matter that his father didn’t care?

  He’d come around every few years, stayed a day, confused her son, and left after making empty promises. After a while, it stopped being important to her to have a man around. Jason was just fine without one.

  Panic rose in her chest. What if Mike’s promises were empty too? What if he didn’t show up to that game tomorrow? What if he didn’t help him again with his math, or talk to him anymore? Would that be her fault? He’d pushed her out of his apartment after kissing her senseless.

  It wasn’t worth the commitment and the disappointment to get involved, she decided as she opened her door and stepped out into the fresh snow. Jason would get over him, and soon he’d just be the man living upstairs.

  Chandra walked around the side of the house and let herself into the dark kitchen. Even the light over the stove wasn’t on for her tonight. On the table was a covered plate, and she moved in to partake in whatever her mother had baked.

  On top there was a note; For Mike, Don’t Eat!

  She gritted her teeth and moved on to her room. All these years she’d been working to support her family, and some man comes along and steals their hearts. Enough was enough.

  Shutting her door, she gave it a quiet kick. How depressing was it that she couldn’t even throw a good fit in her own house if she wanted to.

  Pulling the band from her ponytail, she let her hair fall to her shoulders. She could smell his shampoo in her hair, and even that infuriated her.

  Four days. She’d known him for four days. There was no reason to get so worked up about a man she—and then she stopped internally berating herself and plopped down on her bed.

  It was if it all made sense.

  None of this had anything to do with Mike and everything to do with her.

  She batted her eyes against tears that fought to surface. There was no reason for tears. Only one man had ever made her forget her senses before in such a short amount of time. She wasn’t about to do it again.

  It had been a moment of weakness that caused her to fall in love with Austin. He’d been a smooth talker and oh, what a looker.

  Just that fast she’d fallen in love and fallen in bed—only to get pregnant and watch him walk away three months later.

  She probably could move on from it. After all, it had been ten years. However, every time the man decided to make an appearance in his son’s life, she fell all over again. And every time it ended with him leaving her—and Jason.

  She couldn’t afford to do it again. Jason was right. They didn’t meet the men she dated because she didn’t date. And if she went out with anyone, she left it as a date and moved on. There was no reason to give her son false hopes and have a relationship with a man.

  Chandra wiped her eyes. She was just a lonely woman and a man, whom she found herself attracted to—oddly enough—had shown interest in her. Flattery was all it was. He’d swept her off her feet for just a moment—and she’d enjoyed every breathtaking moment.

  Now she could move on. The kiss was just a kiss between two lonely people. Tomorrow she’d go to work, and he’d attend to his remodeling. If he bothered to show up to the game, well, then she’d see him there too. And of course she’d give him the address, but she was under no obligation to see him to the game. He was a grown man.

  Satisfied with her decisions, she began to undress. Until Gabe returned to work, sleep was the only time she had at home. She might as well try to get some.

  But as she laid her head back on her pillow the tingle of the kiss with Mike tickled her senses. What were the chances he’d ever try that again?

  ~*~

  Because she was in need of some, Chandra stopped for coffee. And in fact, she was a foofy creamer kind of girl on this particular Saturday morning. Not only that, she felt like a breakfast sandwich would be well deserved since she had to open the restaurant in the fresh snow.

  Of course, she wasn’t an unkind person, so she ordered two of everything, just in case Mike might be standing at the door ready to apologize for kicking her out of his apartment or kissing her in the first place.

  But much to her dismay, he wasn’t standing there. When the first of her staff arrived, she walked up to his door and knocked, but he didn’t answer.

  Where could he have possibly gone, she wondered. Was he inside and ignoring her? That was just rude.


  She left the coffee and the sandwich on the floor. He’d know it was from her. He’d have to come and thank her for it. Chandra was sure that then he’d issue his apology.

  Eventually, the lunch rush came and occupied her mind, but then again so did he. He’d never shown up. When her phone buzzed in her pocket, she quickly pulled it out to see that her mother was calling.

  “Hi, Mom.”

  “Are you coming to this game?” she asked, and Chandra felt her heart sink into her stomach.

  “I’ll be there in ten.”

  Damn it. She’d been so preoccupied with worrying about Mike she hadn’t kept track of her time. Ernest was at the restaurant,, and he was taking her place for a few hours. That should have signaled to her that she was supposed to be somewhere else.

  She grabbed her bag out of the office and headed for the door. Then she remembered she’d never texted Mike the address. Oh, she wasn’t going to let him off the hook for this.

  She unlocked the door between the restaurant and the stairs and ran up them. Sitting at his door was the coffee and the sandwich she’d laid there that morning.

  Now she was furious with the man. Where had he stayed all night? If he hadn’t left his apartment all day, chances were he’d never been in it in the first place.

  Anger boiled inside her, and that man was going to get an earful when she saw him. Because now, he was poised to disappoint her son, and she wasn’t going to have that.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Mike paced next to the field, chewing on his thumb as Jason lined up. He'd given him the pep talk he’d always given his son, and he’d seen the glimmer in Jason’s eyes that he’d once seen in Dane’s.

  It was silly really, to pray and wish for a miracle goal for a kid he barely knew, but he was doing it. In fact, it was making him a little sick inside. The worry. The look in a young boy’s eyes when he’d been defeated. Did he have it in him to talk him back up?

  Seriously, it was too much pressure he thought as he bit on his thumb.

  “You should come sit,” Eleanor yelled down to him from her seat in the bleachers. “You can see better up here.”

  He laughed. “I will in a bit. I guess this is ritual. I used to do it with my son.”

  Her smile changed tone, from humored to heartfelt. She gave him a nod and eased back against the stadium seat cushion she’d carried in with her.

  The whistle blew, and the game began. Mike looked down at his watch and then up in the stands. Where in the hell could Chandra be? She hadn’t texted him the address. He’d had to ask Eleanor for that. She hadn’t called him—not that he’d expected her to be pleasant if she had. He was quite sure she’d be mad at him for kicking her out of his apartment last night, but hey, his ego had been crumbled, he had every right to ask her to leave, he’d decided.

  “Where have you been?” He heard her voice, and when he turned, she was hurrying toward him.

  “I’ve been here,” he quickly snapped and then turned his attention to the game.

  “Since seven o’clock this morning?”

  “Checking up on me, Ms. Chavez? Didn’t see it in the lease where I had to leave my schedule.”

  He kept his eye on the game, but he could see her nostrils flare and her eyes grow wider.

  “You’re right. It’s none of my business.”

  “Nope.”

  “You don’t have to be an ass about it.”

  “I don’t think that’s in my lease either. I can be an ass if I want to. You don’t seem to like it when I’m genuine about my feelings, so…”

  “You’re throwing that in my face?”

  He shifted her a quick glance. “No, I’m stating a fact. I thought the kiss was decent. Maybe not my best work, but hey, I enjoyed it. You seemed put out and not interested. I moved on.”

  “Moved on? Since last night, you’ve moved on? Is that why you didn’t sleep in your own bed last night?”

  Now he turned to her fully. “Excuse me?”

  He saw her cheeks fill with color, but her eyes remained dark. “Since seven o’clock this morning, you haven’t been home.”

  “You’re right. I haven’t.”

  “So where were you?”

  “Is that part of my lease, because I’m missing the part where I have to check in with you.”

  Her body tensed, but at that moment his phone rang. Thank goodness for his son’s timing, he thought as he accepted the facetime call.

  “Sorry I’m late, Dad. Did I miss the game?”

  “Just got started. He looks good. He’s number 7,” he said as he turned his phone toward the field so Dane could partake in the game.

  Chandra stood there and watched Mike talk to his son, while his son watched her son play soccer from California. Seriously, he’d invited his son to watch too? Who was this man?

  Her attention turned to the field when the whistle blew, and she watched Mike turn the phone and look at his son.

  Did he know his face lit up when he looked at him? She knew hers did the same when she looked at Jason. Everyone told her that.

  “Say hi to Chandra,” Mike said as he turned the phone and she was then face to face Dane.

  She smiled, hoping it looked genuine. “Hey, Dane.”

  “Hey. Thanks for inviting Dad to the game. This is fun. I miss playing league.”

  “Can you see it okay?” Her voice shook.

  “Yeah, yeah. I’ll be out for spring break. Maybe we can kick a ball around when I’m there if he’s interested.”

  Her throat tightened, and she pushed down emotions she didn’t want to surface. “I’m sure he’d love that.”

  “Game on,” Mike said as he turned the phone back around.

  Though she didn’t know what to expect, she decided to let her guard down, and she stepped up next to Mike. He turned to look at her, so she offered a smile. Any man who made sure to be at a game for a boy he promised, even though she’d neglected to give him the address, and then facetimed his own son to watch—he was a keeper. Maybe romance wasn’t right for them. They really were two lost souls, but he couldn’t be that bad for her right now.

  She turned to look up at her mother and noticed that she looked away when Chandra made eye contact, but there was a smile there.

  It had been a long time since she’d let her heart try something new. Maybe it was time.

  “He’s got the ball. He’s got the ball!” Mike’s voice shook her from her thoughts.

  Dane’s voice rang out from the phone. “Go! Go! Go!”

  She looked out onto the field and watched as her son took possession of the ball, and he maneuvered it down the field. He was fast. He was accurate, and no one was catching him.

  Her heart pounded in her chest, and she pressed her hands to the glass.

  Jason took the ball to the end of the field, and both teams were now running in his direction. It was between him and the goalie.

  Chandra heard Mike yelling, and Dane too. Her mother’s voice stood out from the crowd behind her. She lifted her hands to her eyes. She couldn’t see this. She couldn’t watch. What if he missed?

  “He’s got it. He’s got it,” Mike repeated as she looked between her fingers as her son took the kick he’d been talking about for weeks.

  It went toward the goal, and the goalie moved in its path. As the ball rose toward the net, the goalie jumped, but only managed to deflect the ball back to Jason who then gave it another solid kick, and it flew into the net.

  The team rushed Jason and pulled him in. She couldn’t even see him anymore. A moment later Mike’s arm came around her and pulled her close.

  Her breath caught as he cheered Jason, and then swiftly pulled her in and kissed her hard on the mouth.

  It was a reaction she knew because he then went back to cheering with his son. But when she looked for her son, he stood there watching. There certainly was an air of confusion on his face having just witnessed Mike kiss her, but then it turned into a wide, accepting smile before he gave Mike a thu
mbs up and ran back to the sideline.

  As Jason walked to the sidelines and the next line of players moved into position, Mike took his phone and walked out of earshot.

  She stood there alone, the heat of the kiss still surging through her. She turned to look up at her mother, who seemed to be intently watching the game, but the smile on her face surely gave away the fact that she’d seen what Mike had done.

  Perhaps it was time to face it. Chandra started up the bleachers and sat down next to her mother.

  “He did it,” her mother said as the whistle blew and the game continued.

  “He sure did.”

  “I think Mike had a lot to do with that.”

  “I think Jason did that on his own,” Chandra argued. “He’s had it in him the whole time.”

  “Yeah, but as a parent, you can tell them they’re the best at everything, and they don’t believe you. But bring in just the right person, and they suddenly do believe it.”

  “I don’t want him to think that everything in his life will be good just because of Mike.”

  Her mother shrugged. “You seem happier.” The smile was back, and Chandra shook her head.

  “Don’t read into that. He was just excited.”

  “Excited enough to kiss you. And kiss you very well.”

  “We’re too different for anything to work between us.”

  Her mother turned her attention from the game. “What’s happened between you?”

  “Nothing. He kissed me last night and then kicked me out of his apartment.”

  Her mother nodded slowly, but Chandra would have felt better had she found it appalling that he’d dismissed her. “I assume he kicked you out because of this negative attitude you have.”

  “Look at him.” She shifted her attention to where he stood talking to his son on the phone. “He’s not like us.”

  “I spent my whole life tearing down stereotypes, and now my daughter believes in them?”

  “You know what I mean,” Chandra argued.