Brook huffed, turned on her heels, and left. She sneered at me over her shoulder before exiting the room. “Your mom’s right, you should lock your doors.”
I followed her out.
One of the painters was on the porch smoking a cigarette. He winked at her as she stormed by. Her flip-flops flapped like her lips. The painter’s gaze followed Brook’s every move.
Disgusted, I scowled at him.
He lit his smoke then acknowledged my presence. “That didn’t sound like it went well.”
“Are you the one responsible for letting her in?”
He pointed to his younger counterpart. “Talk to him.”
I went back inside. Jerk! I hoped I didn’t say it aloud. I poked my head into the living room. It appeared to be done as promised. I checked my watch then strolled into the kitchen to pour myself a glass of wine before Chloe came storming in. She’d know how to get in even if the doors were locked.
Bones stared at me.
“Bad painter man, bad, bad younger painter man,” I said in the same tone I usually reserved for Bones.
“Maggie,” a man’s voice called.
I glanced up and the painter man was standing in the doorway to the kitchen. His eyes were round and apologetic, like the bulldog at my feet licking my toes.
“All done. We’re all cleaned up. Want to come see?”
I cradled the wineglass in the palm of my hand, the stem between my fingers. “Sure,” I said with a smile. Bones followed at my heels. “Come on, boy.”
The room was pristine, exactly how I pictured, clean, new khaki paint, and not a lick of furniture. I swung around when I heard the knock on the door.
Paul peered inside. “Anyone in there?”
“Yeah, come on in.” I frowned at bad painter man. “Now, he can come in,” I said, giving Paul a nod.
“Sorry,” the younger painter man said, “I thought it would be okay. She said she was your friend.”
“Apparently not. Wanna buy a bridge?” I asked, meandering to the center of the great room breathing in the fresh scent of paint.
“Sofa will be here in two days, rug, too,” Paul said, from behind me. “You two can go,” he said to the painters.
“Thanks.” I didn’t want them to think I was a total loon. “You did good.” I gave them the thumbs-up and a kooky little wave. “Bless you,” I mumbled to Bones, after he sneezed. He trotted away, but not without letting Paul scratch his head. When Paul jabbered in baby-talk to Bones, I felt my furrowed brow wrinkle with sarcastic question.
“What?”
“That is so sad, but this room is beautiful. I’d say your work is about done here.” I assessed his dejected reaction. “What is it with you guys and your sad puppy-dog faces? Not even Bones looks that pitiful.”
“I am going to miss coming over here and seeing you.”
“You’re sweet,” I said for a better lack of words. “You still have to bring the sofa and the rug. I’ll see you again.”
His eyes lightened. “You’re right. And when you change your mind about more furniture. Beckett has my number.” Paul stopped himself. “But then again you have my number, too. If you need anything you know where to find me.”
I processed his comment. “Beckett will not be calling you again on my behalf. We have come to an agreement. If he does, tell him no.” Paul inspected the room further. I set my wineglass on the mantle then buried my hands in my pockets. “This room really is lovely. Can’t wait for the rug and the sofa. Will your guys help put my grandmother’s table back in here for me?”
“For you, anything.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “When I first met you I wasn’t sure what I was getting into.”
“Yeah, it’s a little crazy around here,” I said, reminding myself that I still had flowers to replant in the backyard.
“In a good way. Very entertaining, to say the least.”
I snickered. “I bet.” I trailed behind Paul as he headed for the front door, thinking how my chaos generated such interest from an outsider.
Paul stepped out onto the porch. “The sofa and rug will be here soon.”
The corner of my mouth lifted. “Great.” I found myself wanting to be alone as I was consumed with John and the obstacles between us. I wanted to kiss him, get to know him, go out with, explore, but after today that might never happen. I peeked over the side of the porch, half-expecting Chloe to be hiding out in the bushes. She wasn’t there, so I went inside, closed the front door, and locked it.
I shuffled through the living room to retrieve my wineglass then meandered to the kitchen to top it off. My book was waiting for me on the lounge chair outside and no doubt Bones was destroying something else in the backyard.
When I opened the French doors to the patio I noticed two small feet sticking out from the Dogwood tree that was more like an overgrown bush. Both of Chloe’s big toes now had purple bandages on them. I dismissed the notion to shut the doors, and pretended not to see her. I scratched at the raw skin under my arm, took a quick peek, then put up my feet. My skin was gross. I smeared ointment under my arm, opened my novel, and began to read. From the corner of my eye, I saw Bones scoot under the tree and lay next to her. I heard muffled mumbling, but didn’t answer.
“So, you’re just going to ignore me, too,” Chloe chimed.
I grunted, closed my book, then took a sip of wine and waited for her to crawl out from under the tree. When she didn’t budge, I went over to where she was. “Nice bandages. Did something happen to your other big toe?”
“No, I just wanted a matching set.”
Innocent bystanders might have thought I was crazy tree lady and wonder how many cats roamed inside my charming stone house as jabbered to bushy branches. “Are you going to come out?” I asked.
“Nope,” Chloe replied, popping the ‘P’ sound.
I heard Bones rustling beneath the greenery. “Why did you think I was going to ignore you?”
“Cause, it just seems like everybody does. My dad works all the time and when my mom finally comes to visit me, she’s really not here. She’s on her phone or doing something else like shopping.”
This was going to be tougher than I thought. I squatted and peered under the tree, thinking, What the heck? I lifted the lowest branch and invited myself in. Chloe was stretched out on her back with her hands behind her head. Bones had his head on her stomach. I managed to find a space between the limbs for my head and sat like a pretzel.
“When your sofa gets here, can I come over and test it out?” Chloe asked. “I’m gonna miss that designer guy, he was nice to me.”
My eyebrows shot up. Chloe was definitely a stalker. “You were in my house. Listening?”
“Yeah, I came over and let myself in the back.”
Apparently, I needed to lock all the doors. “You know you could knock or ring the bell,” I suggested.
“I could, but you know me, I forget.”
Chloe opened one eye. She pulled one of her hands out from behind her head and started petting Bones.
Chloe sighed. “My mom thought he was cute, but not her type.”
“Good to know,” I muttered.
“My mom doesn’t like you,” she stated.
“I know,” I said, loosening my hair free from the spindly shoots.
“She’s like that you know. She says you push her buttons.”
I smirked. It was good to know I wasn’t the only one feeling inferior. “I don’t mean to.” I crossed my fingers behind my back to cover the fib. Not sure it was foolproof, but I thought I should give it a try for old time’s sake.
Chloe propped herself up, her eyes filled with doubt. She picked a twig from her messy hair then gave it to Bones who immediately chewed it up. I plucked a leaf from her shoulder. “I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings. Grown-ups can be difficult.”
“Don’t I know it,” Chloe said. “It’s not easy having Mom around. She
refuses to stay in a hotel. She’s always asking my dad for stuff. He says he’s zasperated.”
“You mean exasperated?” I asked.
“Yeah, that’s what I said. Geez.” Her tone was sprinkled with disgust.
Chloe produced Junie B. Jones and Her Big Fat Mouth from her back pocket and handed it to me. “Can we read this?” She wiggled into a pretzel position opposite me. “It’s getting to the good part.”
Bones got up, spun in a circle, and plopped back down. He laid his head on his paws and sighed. I scratched his ears. “Sure, Chloe, we can read for a bit.” I opened to the page with the bookmark. Chloe’s eyes studied my face as I read. Then I stopped. “Does someone know that you are over here?”
“Where else would I be?” she chirped.
“Where’s your mom?” I asked.
“Out buying stuff. Dad’s home.”
I found my place on the page and kept reading.
Chapter 23
The sun nudged the horizon. My eyes strained to see the words as I continued reading to Chloe. I swatted at a mosquito on my neck. “I think we’d better give this up for tonight.” I crawled out from under the Dogwood. “Are you coming?”
“I don’t want to,” Chloe sniffled.
“Oh good grief, you’ll be one giant mosquito bite if you stay under there. Bones needs his dinner,” I said, poking my head back under the tree. “So do I.”
“Can I feed him?” she asked.
“Sure, but the only way to feed him is to come out of there. Let’s go,” I ordered. “Come on, Bones. Dinner.” He jumped up and scooted out across Chloe’s feet. I waited for her to crawl out then offered her a hand up.
“Wait,” she gasped. “Voodoo’s still under there. I have to get him.”
Before she could crawl back under the tree, Bones ran under the branches to retrieve the dusty purple cat.
Chloe smiled. “Bones likes me. And Voodoo, too.” She brushed off her jeans. Bones dropped the raggedy stuffed animal at her feet and bolted for the kitchen doors. “Look, Voodoo has a broken toe. Just like me.” Chloe pointed to the purple bandage on the cat’s foot.
“You don’t have a broken toe,” I reminded her.
“Well, it sure feels like it. Stupid door,” she groaned.
“Yeah, stupid door.” I put my hand on her back and guided her toward the house. “Go in. The scoop is in the bucket with Bones’ food. I’ll be there in a minute.” I watched her trot in the house after Bones before going next door. Surprised that no one had investigated her disappearance, I figured I’d better let John know where his daughter was. With one hand on the gate Chloe hollered my name.
“Can I eat with you, too? Voodoo doesn’t want to go home yet,” she called.
“Stay there. I’ll go check with your dad.” Brook had warned me off, but I felt sorry for Chloe. She was caught. I opened the gate then slammed it behind me. Percolating rumbles from a motorcycle came from John’s garage. I wondered if he had a guest. Weary of running into Brook, I cautiously approached the garage. John was sitting on a Harley Davidson revving the engine. I waved to get his attention, but he was too engrossed with the bike. I waited for the rumbling to subside then I yelled his name.
He nodded to me. His eyes were dark and clouded with angst.
My stomach twisted. “Sorry to bother you, but Chloe is over at my house. She is feeding Bones and wants to know if she can stay for dinner.” I stepped closer to John. “She says Voodoo doesn’t want to come home.”
John tightened his grip on the sleek handlebars giving the engine one last rev.
I jumped at the unexpected roar then waited for an answer. His organized garage was impeccable. All the tools hung over the workbench, the wrenches placed by size. Two bikes were parked against the wall, Chloe’s bike with the banana seat, and a man’s black mountain bike. Fishing rods hung from the rafters. I shivered at the thought of the dangling hooks. With all of Chloe’s mishaps, I thought John would know better. I inhaled a deep breath of air as my eyes returned to his solemn face. “I can tell her to come home.”
He swung his leg over the seat of his Harley “You sure are a lot of trouble,” he started.
I raised my eyebrow at his remark. “Not sure what you mean.” I crossed my arms.
John‘s temple twitched. “First, you get the nanny to quit. Then, Chloe gets attached to you.”
“Wait, that was not my doing. She comes over on her own.” I stopped talking as he put up his finger in my direction. Both my eyebrows went up as I was silenced.
“She loves your mother. Now Chloe’s mom is here and you’ve managed to get under her skin, which by the way is costing me more money with each passing second. Lord knows what store she’s buying out now.”
I put up my pointer finger in his direction just as he had done to me moments earlier. “Not sure what you mean, but that has nothing to do with me and I‘m pretty sure you know that.” My head pounded. John’s jaw line unexpectedly soften, laugh lines emerged around his luring eyes. He was clean-shaven today, and damn attractive. “I’m sorry if I’ve caused you trouble.” My heart ached for him. “Like I said, I’ll send Chloe home.”
John grabbed my forearm as I turned to leave. He spun me back around. “We haven’t had this much upheaval since Brook and I split three years ago.”
His Adam’s apple wobbled when he swallowed. His eyes stared through me. The heat from his body penetrated my skin like tiny waves of lust burrowing into my pores, making my insides crumble. I tried to yank my arm free.
“And yet—” He took a deep breath. “You are still so damn beautiful.”
“Please, please stop saying that to me,” I said. “This is a mess. I don’t think I have the energy to do this with you.”
He leaned into me, our noses almost touching. He squeezed my arm. “Well, you better find the energy because I’m not backing down.”
“What about Brook? She’s here. And Chloe. I can’t do this to Chloe. I see it all the time at school with parents and it just doesn’t work.”
“Stop with the excuses, Maggie. I’m not one of your parents from school.”
“Yeah, but you’re my neighbor, Chloe’s dad. And Brook warned me to stay away.” His eyes turned dark like the rush of a sudden downpour. “I shouldn’t have said that.” I shook my head. “That’s between me and her.”
“She’s not even part of the equation. She’s not here for Chloe. She’s here for money. This is how she rolls. She’ll be gone soon. Chloe looks up to you and she loves your mom. Please don’t turn her away because of her unreasonable mother.”
I thought about Brook accusing me of using Chloe to get to John. I wondered what his motive was. Dads seek out moms for their children, too. My mind froze. “I’m not going to befriend your daughter just because you keep coming on to me.” At the flash of hurt in John’s eyes, I immediately regretted my words. He lured me closer. Our bodies touched, waves of electricity igniting between us. The night sky darkened intensifying our united emotion. “Please, nothing good can come from this.”
“Are you sure about that, Maggie?”
Suddenly, John’s arms were around me. His lips pressed against mine. They were warm and soft unlike the tone in his voice. I closed my eyes, cautioning myself, but couldn’t stay strong. I caved to his sexy self. He leaned me back after the kiss, his hands held my arms. As I gulped for air, his fingers release me.
“You tell me there is nothing there and I will leave you alone,” he said.
Speechless, confused, and alarmingly attracted to him, I forced myself to say nothing.
Brook parked her rented BMW at the end of the driveway.
“I have to go. I can’t go another round with your ex-wife. She’ll always be here. That’s too much.” My words were heavy. I didn’t want it to be true. “Mommas don’t leave their babies. I know. I have one,” I said matter-of-factly. I couldn’t read his expression. “Should I send Chloe home?”
“No. She can have dinner a
t your house. I have some things to settle with Brook.”
I crossed my arms and hung on to myself, somebody had to. Nobody was going to take care of me, except me. My shoulders tightened as disappointment crowded out the exhilaration I felt from John’s touch.
John sighed. “Damn it, Maggie. I never thought I’d find a woman like you. Matter of fact, I was content being by myself.” He paused and touched my cheek.
His hands smelled like motor oil and testosterone. The urge to lead him on taunted me. “Call me when it’s safe for Chloe to come home. I have no plans. Bones could use the company while I work.”
“Work on what?” he asked.
“Just a project.” A project that involved him and his daughter. Chloe, the girl with no boundaries, high-top tennis shoes, purple bandages on her big toes; the girl with limited reading skills, a crazy mother, and a mangy, stuffed purple cat named Voodoo. The girl that was changing my world.
John wiped his hands on the bandana from his back pocket. “Chloe really loves Bones, doesn’t she?”
I nodded. “Yes, she does. If you want him, he’s all yours. That offer still stands.”
John shook his head. “No way, I’ve seen what he’s done to your yard.”
“What if I trained him?”
“No,” John said, snapping down the studded leather strap of his saddlebag.
“John—”
“Yes,” he said quietly.
“I can’t. Good luck with Brook.”
Chapter 24
I closed the French doors from the patio to the kitchen. Chloe sat next to Bones on the floor next to his dish. He was munching and crunching while Chloe painfully tried to sound out words in her Junie B. book. “Your dad says you can stay for dinner. He’ll call when he wants you home.” Her frustrated expression drifted up toward me as I headed for the refrigerator.
“These words are hard. Most of the kids could read these books in my class last year.”
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