Daddy Next Door

by Judy Christenberry

  “Mommy says I’m sick, but I feel fine.”

  Jennifer came up to Missy from behind the sofa, keeping it between her and Nick. She leaned down to feel Missy’s forehead. “I think she got overheated, but I have to be sure. Let me take your temperature, sweetie. If you’re not running a fever, you can go out.”

  She went to get the thermometer. Once she left the room, Nick asked the girls how they’d managed while he was gone.

  “We missed you,” Missy told him.

  “I missed all of you, too. It seemed like I was gone forever.”

  “I think Mommy missed you, too,” Annie said quietly. “She doesn’t smile as much when you’re not here.”

  It was ridiculous to get one’s hopes up based on a five-year-old’s opinion, but he was desperate for any encouragement he could get.

  When Jennifer came back into the room with a thermometer, he waited for her to take Missy’s temperature.

  “There’s no fever,” Jennifer announced, and the three little girls cheered.

  “That means we can go!” Missy exclaimed.

  “Terrific. Where do you want to go?”

  The girls all looked at one another. “We don’t want to go to Chuck E. Cheese’s,” Steffi said carefully.

  “Ah, your mother already vetoed that one, did she?” he teased Jennifer, shooting her a grin. “That’s good, because I was thinking about steak. Have you been to Outback?”

  “What’s that?” Missy asked.

  “It’s a steak place. The Outback is what they call the rural parts of Australia.”

  “What’s Australia?” Steffi asked.

  Jennifer stepped in. “That’s a country a long way away. But they have good steaks there.”

  “In Australia?” Annie asked.

  “No, here in Dallas at the restaurant, The Outback.” Nick exchanged a smile with Jennifer. “Is that okay with you girls?”

  “If Mommy likes it,” Annie said.

  Nick smiled at Jennifer. “Well, Mommy, what do you think?”

  “It sounds lovely, but it’s a little early for dinner. Shall we go in a couple of hours?”

  “I guess I can wait that long.” Nick wasn’t sure. He didn’t want to go back to his lonely apartment.

  Annie seemed to understand. “You can play cards with us. Mommy got a new game.”

  “Sweetie, I don’t think—” Jennifer began.

  But Nick wasn’t passing up an opportunity to stay. “I’d love to play cards with you, Annie.”

  “Me and Steffi get to play, too!” Missy insisted.

  “Of course. And your mommy, too, if she wants to.” Nick let his gaze move to Jennifer, hoping to see cooperation.

  “I—I have some things to do. But you’re welcome to play with the girls.” She hurriedly left the room.

  Nick stared after her until Missy tugged on his arm. “What, Missy?”

  “Can you—” She looked at her older sister. “What does he have to do, Steffi?”

  “Shuffle,” she said.

  “Oh, yeah, I can do that. Here,” he said, holding out his hand for the deck of cards. “What game are we playing?”

  “Go Fish!” Missy said with a giggle. “But we don’t really hold fishes. That would by yucky!”

  Nick grinned. He’d rather be spending time with Jennifer, he’d admit, but the girls were always fun. “Yes, it would, wouldn’t it? And Mommy wouldn’t like it because it would make a mess.”

  Steffi shook her head. “Mommy isn’t fussy. My last mommy didn’t even want us to sit on the furniture. She didn’t seem to like anything we did. But Mommy just helps us clean up the messes and gives us kisses.”

  Nick sighed as he shuffled the cards. “Yeah, she’s a really good mommy.”

  “Why didn’t she already have kids?” Steffi asked.

  As Nick considered his answer, Missy piped up. “’Cause she didn’t have a daddy…until Daddy came.” She pointed at Nick. “Are you going to have a baby?”

  Nick felt heat rising up his neck. Just thinking about making a child with Jennifer raised his temperature.

  “Are you, Daddy?” Missy prodded him.

  “Uh, no, I mean, I’d like— I’m not married to Jennifer. That means no babies. Unless we get married,” he couldn’t help but add. He hadn’t noticed Jennifer coming into the room as he made his last statement.

  “What is going on in here?” Jennifer demanded.

  Missy immediately thought she could explain, which sent fear through Nick’s veins.

  “We were talking about you and Daddy—I mean, Nick—having a baby because you’re such a good mommy.”

  “It was Missy’s idea, Mommy, not Nick’s,” Annie said, demonstrating her understanding of the situation. Maybe she was alerted by both the adults’ red faces.

  “I think I have enough to learn with you three, Missy. After I practice awhile we’ll think about another child.”

  “But you have to have a daddy,” Missy said, covertly looking at Nick.

  “I didn’t need one to get you, did I?”

  “No, but—” Missy began until Nick caught her hand.

  “Missy, I think your mommy is right. She needs some time to figure everything out. You’re lucky she picked the three of you so you can be together.” Nick smiled at the little girl so she’d know he wasn’t chastising her.

  Annie, in a soft voice, said, “Forever and ever.”

  “Yeah,” Steffi agreed.

  Jennifer smiled weakly at the girls. “Now I think you need to get that game started. I’d hate to miss my steak because the game hasn’t ended.”

  Nick dealt the cards and hurried the game along. He was hungry, too.

  For Jennifer.

  WHEN THEY REACHED THE restaurant, Nick asked for a big booth.

  “Are you sure, Nick?”

  “It will be perfect. We’ll put the girls on one side and you and me on the other.”

  “But I’ll need to assist the girls.”

  “You can. The table isn’t that wide.” He was determined to have her beside him. He needed to at least get that close to her.

  Jennifer helped each of her girls choose from the children’s menu, and when they’d all placed their orders Nick asked the girls about their ballet and swimming lessons.

  “Missy is the best swimmer,” Jennifer said. “She’s like a little fish. Steffi is the best at ballet. And we’ve started an art class and that’s where Annie shines.”

  “Terrific. Something for everyone,” Nick said with a smile. “And your mommy takes the best pictures.”

  “That reminds me,” Jen said, “I’ll pick up your photos tomorrow morning while the girls are in ballet class, if that’s all right.”

  “That’s fine. How did the housekeeper work out?”

  “Oh, she’s wonderful. She’s coming to your apartment on Friday. Since you weren’t here, you got last choice.”

  “That’s fine. It means she can do my laundry from my trip.”

  “Did you have fun on your trip?” Missy asked.

  “Not exactly, honey. I didn’t go to California for fun. I had to work.”

  Jennifer turned to him with a look of disbelief. “All work and no play, Nick? In Hollywood?”

  “They took me out for what they thought was fun, but I thought it was a waste of time. I wanted to get my work down and come home.”

  Jennifer put her head down, pretending to study her drink.

  What was wrong with her? he wondered.

  “What kind of work did you do?” Steffi asked.

  “I was writing.”

  Missy nodded. “Writing is hard.”

  “Not for Nick, Missy. He’s an adult,” Steffi explained.

  “Did you get the problem worked out?” Jennifer asked in a small voice.

  “Yeah. It wasn’t too hard.”

  “And they didn’t offer you a job?” She finally looked at him.

  He smiled at her. “Honey, my job is writing books, not screenplays.”

&nbs
p; “You can’t do both?”

  “Some people can, but I can’t. It would be like you making portraits of people and taking aerial photos. Two different things.”

  “But you could train yourself to write screenplays, couldn’t you?” Jennifer persisted.

  “Maybe, but why would I want to?”

  “So you could live in Hollywood,” Jennifer said, as if he couldn’t figure it out.

  “I don’t want to live in Hollywood.”

  “Why not?” she challenged him.

  He turned the tables on her. “Would you want to live in Hollywood?”

  “No, of course not. It would be a terrible place to raise children.”

  “I agree.”

  If they agreed, he wondered, why did Jen look so perturbed?

  WHEN THEY GOT HOME, it was bedtime and Jennifer sent the children off to brush their teeth and put on their nightgowns.

  Then she turned to Nick. “Thank you for a lovely evening.” She almost put her hand out for him to shake, but she didn’t think he’d buy that behavior. So she kept her hands around her purse in front of her.

  “It was great, wasn’t it? And I think the girls really liked it, too.”

  “Yes, of course. Well, I know you’re anxious to settle back in your apartment, so I won’t keep you.” That was as obvious as she could be.

  “No, I’m in no hurry. Can’t I stay to help tuck the girls into bed?”

  “Um, I—I suppose so.”

  They stood there awkwardly until they heard the girls call out, “We’re ready.”

  Jennifer put her purse down on the sofa and went into the bedroom to kiss them good-night, followed by Nick.

  By the time they left the bedroom, all the girls were smiling except for Jennifer.

  She walked Nick back to the living room and tried her goodbye speech again.

  “That’s not going to work, Jennifer. We need to talk.”

  “About what?”

  “I’m not sure, but something is bothering you.”

  Jennifer took a step away from Nick. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “You don’t? Why are you moving away from me?”

  She stood rooted in place, looking away from him. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Yes, you do, and I’m not leaving until I get some answers.”

  “This is my apartment, Nick Barry. You can’t threaten me in my own apartment!”

  “I’m not threatening you, sweetheart. I just want some answers.” He moved closer. “Can’t we sit down and chat a few minutes?”

  “It’s late and—”

  “Jennifer, it’s eight-thirty!”

  “Oh! I forgot because the girls go to bed early. I—I do, too, so I can get up early with them.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  She stared at him before dropping her glance. “Okay, we can talk for a few minutes.”

  She tried to reach the single chair in order to avoid sitting on the sofa with him, but he intercepted her. “Let’s both sit here,” he suggested.

  “Fine!” she snapped, sitting down, her back straight and stiff.

  He leaned near her. “Did you miss me while I was gone?”

  “No, not at all.”

  “Jen, what’s the point of talking if you’re just going to lie to me?”

  “I didn’t—” She broke off as her gaze met his and she jerked it away. But she couldn’t lie to him if she was meeting his gaze. “I didn’t lie,” she said, looking at her hands.

  “Look me in my eyes and say that,” he challenged.

  “The—the girls missed you.”

  “I’m glad, but I didn’t ask about the girls.”

  She tried to turn away, but he scooted closer and lifted a finger to pull her face around to his. “Didn’t you miss me just a little bit?”

  “Okay, fine, I missed you a little bit! Now—”

  “Good,” he said, just before he kissed her.

  Somehow, before she knew it, her arms ended up around his neck and she was kissing him back. When he pulled her tighter to him, she didn’t resist. Her mouth was open to his and she knew there was a reason to resist, but she couldn’t quite remember what it was.

  He pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms tightly around her as he reslanted his lips over hers to kiss her deeper than before. His hands wandered over her body, stroking her and encouraging her closer.

  She felt as if she had melted onto him, as soft and pliant as warm wax. If she pulled back, his imprint would be on her forever. But she wasn’t pulling back. Instead, she was pressing against him, eager for more.

  When his hand slipped below the short-sleeved sweater she’d worn to dinner, she almost convinced herself to protest, but his mouth moved more compellingly over hers, and she couldn’t seem to bring herself to pull away.

  “Jen, I missed you so much,” he muttered as his lips moved to kiss her neck. Without his mouth on hers, she thought she could break the spell he had cast on her, but as she opened her mouth to do so, his lips returned to hers. She welcomed him like a long-lost lover.

  Then, still kissing her, he stood and scooped her up in his arms.

  “What are you doing?” she demanded in a whisper.

  “I thought we’d be more comfortable in your bedroom,” he murmured, still nibbling at her neck.

  “No!” she said insistently, finally coming to her senses. “W-we can’t do that. The girls might hear us! I can’t—I shouldn’t— Put me down!” While she kept her voice soft so she wouldn’t disturb the girls, she was definite in her protest.

  Nick let her slide down his body, still kissing her. She managed to pull away. But she was panting as if she’d just run a mile.

  “Please—just go. I can’t—”

  “Okay,” he agreed. “I guess we can stop here. But, Jennifer, you can’t let the girls rule every aspect of your life. You have to have some personal time, too.”

  “Just go home, Nick,” she said, trying to ignore the desperate plea in her words.

  He kissed her again before he did as she asked. “Okay, I’ll go home tonight. But we still need to have that talk. Something’s bothering you, and I won’t rest until I find out what it is.”

  A devastated Jennifer slumped against the closed door after Nick had left. She’d wanted to protect the girls from broken hearts, but she’d forgotten to protect her own. And she could definitely feel it cracking. No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn’t believe Nick’s words. Deep inside she believed Hollywood would prove to have too much allure and Nick would leave them behind.

  Chapter Twelve

  Nick had trouble settling down to his writing the next morning. Perhaps because he hadn’t gone to sleep at his normal hour. He’d spent a lot of time thinking about Jennifer. He should’ve expected her to reject his intention to make love to her, but he hadn’t. Somehow, he’d hoped she was feeling the same as him.

  But not only was she not willing, she still hadn’t told him why. Of course, it could be because he’d rushed her. He’d called himself all kinds of names as he’d realized that. But it hadn’t made going to sleep any easier. His body was still on fire for hers.

  After more than an hour, he managed to turn his thoughts to his book. He reread all that he’d written, which was five chapters. That took an hour. Then he was ready to write.

  Only there was a knock on his door.

  When he answered it, he found Jennifer standing on his doorstep. He swung the door wide.

  “Come in.”

  She stood her ground. “I just wanted to give you the copies of your photos you wanted.”

  He refused to take the package she held out. “I have to pay you first. How much was the paper and film?”

  “I think we agreed on twenty-five dollars, but you can pay me later,” she hurriedly said.

  “No, come in. I just need to find my checkbook.”

  She reluctantly entered his apartment.

  “Are the girls napping?�
�� he asked.

  “No, but the housekeeper is with them,” Jennifer said. Then she suddenly got an edgy look on her face.

  “I’m not going to attack you, Jen, so stop looking so apprehensive. Of course, I wouldn’t resist a kiss or two.”

  “No, that’s okay,” Jennifer took a quick step backward.

  He grinned and came closer, unable to resist temptation. “Just one kiss? That wouldn’t be too bad, would it?”

  “You never stop at one kiss,” she pointed out.

  “I promise I will this morning unless you say differently.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “I do.” And he bent his head to kiss her. As he did so, his arms went around her, pulling her tight against him.

  She was determined to protest after the first kiss, but she was the one who forgot. It wasn’t until he lifted his lips from hers that she realized he was honoring his promise.

  “I— Thank you.”

  He grinned. “You don’t have to thank me, honey. I’m willing to kiss you anytime.”

  “I was thanking you for stopping after one kiss, not for the kiss.” Her cheeks turned bright red.

  “Are you willing to tell me why you don’t want me to kiss you?”

  “I don’t think that’s appropriate behavior for a mother,” she said, backing away again.

  “I think it is. After all, she had to do a lot of kissing to get the children in the first place.”

  “For most mothers, but not for me!”

  “Which means you need to practice even more,” he said with a grin.

  “No! No, it doesn’t. They won’t ever know that.”

  “So if you grow old alone, they won’t blame themselves for causing you to sacrifice your happiness for them?”

  “Of course not! You’re being ridiculous!”

  “I don’t think so. Annie said you didn’t smile as much while I was gone. They notice these things.”

  “Annie said that? You’re not making it up?”

  “I swear she did.”

  “Well, it’s not true.”

  “So you hate my guts and like it when I’m not around?”

  “No, of course not.”

  She was looking very uncomfortable.

  “So you like for me to kiss you?”

  “Nick, I need to go. I’ll get your check later.” And she left his apartment.