by Zrinka Jelic
Neri stood frozen and wide-eyed.
Of course, she didn’t know his mother and here she was expecting a hug as if they were besties.
He grabbed Tag by his collar and ushered him outside, but the dog sat on the other side of the screen door, his pink tongue bobbed while he panted in expectation to be let back inside the house.
“Neri, child.” Mom closed the distance and embraced Neri’s stiff body in an awkward hug. “I was on the phone with Mark when this happened. Oh, darling I’m so sorry.”
Neri locked her gaze with him and mouthed help me.
He nodded, taking his mom’s elbow. “Mom, she’s just had surgery, give her some breathing space.”
“Oh, pardon my manners.” Mom backed up, but only a few inches. She took Neri’s head in her hands and inspected her nose. “It’s hard to imagine it, but once all the swelling and bruising goes away, and this cast comes off, you’ll be happy with Dave’s work. His hands are truly golden.”
Mom’s words stirred his curiosity. What would she know of Dave’s handy work? “Mom, did Dave work on you?”
Mom stepped back and cleared her throat, patting the bottom of her stiff, hair sprayed up do. “You’re making it sound as if I’m a car. You know I had that mole removed—and…”
“And…?” He leaned closer, hoping to press her for more.
“Well, since I was going under, I might as well have something meaningful done. So, a nip here and tuck there.” She tapped his arm. “Do I really have to spell it out to you? I guess I do. I had a facelift.”
He drew in a long breath and shook his head. “So, it’s not the pricey cream you use.”
“Of course, it is.” Mom pinched his cheek.
He hated when she did that, treated him like her little boy. It also indicated she meant business and if he blurted her secret, he’d never hear the end of it. “Miraculous cream it is.” He hugged his mom. Yep, he was her baby and he couldn’t deny it. “Where’s Dad?”
“At the club, where else? Where he can debate surgical procedures for hours on end.” Mom smiled at Neri. “It’s great to finally meet you. Every time I came by, I just missed you. You must be pretty busy. So our nephew is marrying your cousin. What a coincidence? Or should I say it’s a small world?”
“Yes, looks that way. It’s nice to meet you too. Sorry, we’ve never connected.” Neri seemed to finally find her voice, though it sounded more like a huff.
Mark stepped in front of Neri, facing his mom. It was time to change the subject or the truth could get revealed in the next sentence. “Staying for dinner? Steaks have been marinating in my special sauce for eight hours. I can’t wait to throw those babies on the grill. I can almost smell the fumes m-m-m.”
“I’d love to, darling. I’m meeting Dad and some friends for dinner at the club. If Neri was up to it, I’d invite you to come along, but she looks tired.”
Neri nodded. “I am baked.”
“Oh, honey, listen to Mark, he’ll take a great care of you.” Mom leaned closer to Neri and patted her forearm. “And you take a great care of my boy.”
Neri smiled for the first time. “I’ll try.”
“That’s a girl. Hopefully, I’ll get to see you before the wedding.” Mom turned to Mark, her smile dropped. “Walk me to my car, please. Your beast is in my way.”
Mark opened the door.
Tag scurried inside, his nails ticking on the tiled floor until he stopped and sat next to Neri. As a rescue, his mutt didn’t easily take up to the strangers, but he cozied up to Neri fast. He never trusted those Tag didn’t like.
“I’ll be back in a minute. Watch Tag, my steak’s on the counter.”
She patted the dog’s head. “Come, Tag. Join me in the TV room.”
Glued to her side, Tag happily followed her, Mark’s steak would be safe and secure from getting gobbled up in one bite.
Mom paced in front of her car, her heels clicking on the interlocking stones. She ceased at his approach. “Ashley stopped by the house earlier.”
He frowned, then harrumphed. “Did she? I can’t imagine why.”
Mom smoothed her hand over his chest, tugging on his shirt, as if she was afraid someone would see him untidy and clumsy. “That girl was practically a permanent fixture in our house while you and Brook dated. After that, she couldn’t spare us a visit. Until today. I suppose she showed up to give me her version of the event. Of course, she made herself a victim.”
He crossed his arms over his chest to stop his mom’s busy hands from trying to tidy his crumpled shirt. “What did she want from you?”
“To talk some sense into you. She’s afraid you’d suspend her membership.”
The itchy spot on his neck reacted as it always did when stress pressed on him. Scratching it would only increase the sensation so he ignored it, or at least tried to. Ashley was behind in her membership dues and kept promising to catch up, but month after month, her account was running hot. Yet, she always showed up wearing new and expensive running shoes, or workout outfits that were straight out of fitness magazines. He should’ve suspended her membership long ago, but for the sake of an old friendship, he allowed her to continue to use the facilities. No point of advertising her financial situation to Mom.
“I can’t let her get away with what she’s done. To hurt someone so pure and innocent like Neri out of spite and jealousy pisses me off.” The itching in his neck increased. Neri could be right in assuming that Ashley would get nasty if he booted her skinny ass out of his gym.
“Language, please, young man.” Mom squeezed his hand, her tone sharp, but her face remained soft. “We’re friends with her parents and you know how they get. Actually, I shouldn’t say friends, no one’s friends with Turners, the word I’m looking for is tolerance. We are tolerating them.”
“Oh Mom, I wish I was as young as you think me to be.” No point in arguing with his mother, he’d always be her baby. “I’ll think of something to keep everyone happy, but Ashley. Now I have to go back inside and take care of my girl.” He leaned in and kissed Mom’s cheek. “Give my love to Dad.”
“Will do. I know you want to spend time alone with Neri, but don’t be strangers; it’s still your home. You don’t need an invitation.” Mom slipped behind the wheel of her sedan and drove off.
He stood on the driveway until her car turned the corner, he grabbed Neri’s bags from his truck, and headed back inside the house.
Neri sat on the floor in front of the couch, Tag’s head on her leg. She fiddled with the TV remote, only managing to get snow on the screen. At least, she’d muted the set. “Damn it, how do you work this stupid thing?” She pointed the remote at the TV, pressing buttons indiscriminately.
After dropping her bags at the foot of the stairs, he headed toward her and reached for the device in her hand. “Ever worked a satellite TV?” At the press of a big middle button, the guide channel filled the screen. “Anything particular you’d want to watch?”
“How did you do that?” She stared at the remote in his hand as if were evil.
“It’s a magic. Poof.” He returned the remote to her. “Use up and down arrows, and by the way, why are you sitting on the floor?”
“Tag wouldn’t get on the couch.”
“Smart dog. I trained him well. So, what do you think of my mom?”
“Nice lady. I like her. Glad you brought that up. She seems to think I’m a part of your family.” Neri’s eyes narrowed. “Start ‘splainin’ Ricky.”
He cleared his throat and lowered to the floor, taking a seat next to her. “I said you’re not the only one who told the lie.”
“You lied to your mom that we’re dating?” At his slow sideways nod, she slapped his shoulder. “You oaf, you made me sweat bullets while I was explaining my lie and the whole time, you…I don’t believe this.”
“It was my intention to turn the lie into a truth. Will you give me a chance?”
Her mouth dropped. “Why me?”
“Why not you?”
“I’m an oddball, not your type. I see the kind of girls that are always hanging around you. They’re nothing like me, or rather, I’m not like them.”
“Exactly! That is why you. I don’t want a cookie cutter girl that follows the same fashion, listens to the same music, talks the same talk and walks the same walk.” No, he didn’t need another plastic doll afraid her hairdo would go astray if he drove with windows down.
She huffed, but her face didn’t tell if that was good or bad. “So you’re not playing along because of my lie. Or yours.”
“I dreamt you’d be here with me someday, not due to the unfortunate turn of the events. I only learned of your lie a few hours ago. So, no, my intensions are real.”
The corners of her lips twitched upward into a quick smile, spurring him onward. He swallowed tickly wondering what she would taste like while he played with lose strands of her hair, slowly leaning in, he pressed a kiss to her lips. She didn’t pull back, or push him away, so he tried his luck one more time. Taking her bottom lip between his, he coaxed her mouth to open and their tongues met. God, she tasted divine, soft and sweet.
She mewled and broke the kiss, drawing in a long breath.
Damn it, he should’ve known she couldn’t breathe well through her nose and here he was blocking her only air passage. “I’m sorry,” he said, massaging her back. “I shouldn’t have kissed you like that. Once the padding comes out, I’m kissing you senseless.”
“It’s okay, I’m glad you kissed me like that. I haven’t been kissed in any way in a very long time.” She held his hand, lacing her fingers with his.
The little trepidation inside him, dissipated with her words and soft smile. He wanted to taste all of her, take her in his arms and make fast and dirty love to her right here on the couch, then take it nice and slow in his bedroom, to finish it off steamy. That sadly would not happen tonight or the next day, but that day was coming. His groin tightened with the sudden erection. To hide his tented pants from her, he called Tag over and got up, strategically placing the canine in front of him. “Right now, I’m starving and can’t wait to sink my teeth into that steak. It won’t take long. If you want to set the table for two, feel free to rummage around the kitchen for anything you need.” In truth, he wanted to sink his teeth into her flesh, to give her little love bites. He wanted to leave her breathless. Alas, he’d already done that, not intentionally though. The packing in her nose couldn’t come out fast enough.
“Sure thing,” she said, getting up. “Where are you taking Tag?”
“He just ate and would need to take care of his business. I’d prefer him not to do it on the carpet. He’s the reason I can’t have anything nice.”
Tag sniffed his usual spots around the yard, lifted his hind leg at the corner fence and did his thing, then immediately plopped his butt in front of the patio door, whining to be let back inside.
Mark flipped his steak, searing the meat on the hot grill, and stepped to the dog. “What’s gotten into you? You love being outside and now, can’t wait to go in there.”
Neri waved to them from the dining room, then pointed at the set table.
He gave her thumbs up. “Ah, she’s the reason. I know, buddy, she’s got the same effect on me.” Mark poked the tip of tongs into the meat, determined it was medium rare by now, just the way he liked it. He transferred the steak onto a clean plate and opened the door. The smells wafting made his mouth water. “I see you found plates and cutlery.”
“Except no two plates are the same, and your forks and knives are all different, not even your drinking glasses match.”
“Ah, yes, my decorating style can be best described the last one who flew the coop.” Placing the stake on the table, he swiped his hand over the top. “These are all hand-me-downs.”
“I have a few of those. Seems the family thinks I’m a dumping ground for their old stuff.” She took the seat at the setting with steaming soup bowl.
Then with the way she served the Jell-O in a fancy bowl and with a paper doily had him laughing. “The chicken broth looks well heated.” He plopped on the chair facing her, and poured them both mineral water into wine glasses, fancy that.
“I nuked it.” She stirred the golden liquid in her bowl. “Little too much, I’m afraid.” Pushing the plate away, she slid the Jell-O closer. “I guess I’ll start with my dessert.”
“As long as you get something in your stomach, so you can take your meds.”
“Do I need to? I’m not in pain or anything.”
Her pleading expression broke his heart. “Yes, you do. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like pills either and other doctors hate me because I take their patients off the meds, but sometimes they’re a necessary evil. So don’t wait for pain to become unmanageable. You have to take it, then off to bed for you.”
“Eager to get me into the sack, aren’t you?”
The smirk that lingered on her lips told him she was joking. It would take him a bit to get used to her easygoing nature. His exes had conditioned him to walk on eggshells. “You need your beauty sleep.”
“Speaking of sleeping…” She pointed her spoon at him. “What are the arrangements?”
He stopped chewing his bite and forced the piece of meat down his throat. Would she agree to his proposal? “Well, I thought you could take my bed—”
“Not a chance. I’ve imposed on you enough already.”
“Just hear me out. The bed in the guest bedroom is pretty rickety. I’ve had it since my university days.”
“Oh, you want to tell me, it been used for a lot of action.”
“Yeah, well, it did.” He hoped his sheepish grin would dig him out of this, but he couldn’t deny the truth, girls fell into his arms, literally. “So now, it’s Tag’s bed.”
The metallic tags on the dog’s collar clunked at the mention of his name.
“Stay on your cushion, Tag. You’re not getting the bone of my steak. Not yet.”
“He won’t be happy if you take his bed.”
“No, but he’ll share.” He carved the last strip of meat off the bone before he threw it to the dog. “This will keep you busy for a while.”
“I don’t mind a rickety bed. It’d feel right at home. Mine’s wobbly because it’s old. And maybe Tag would like to bunk with me.”
“As you wish. So if you’re done your dinner, let me show you to your room. If it’s too early for you, we can watch the movie, but at least let me get some fresh bedding on there.”
“No, I wasn’t kidding when I said I’m baked. If you found me quiet, that’s why. I can hardly keep my eyes open.” She got on her feet and stacked the empty dishes.
“Then by all means, let’s get you in the bed.” He grabbed her bags and headed up the stairs. Her quiet mood was due to her tiredness not something he might’ve said or done as always seem to be the case with Brook. Good to know, now he could relax.
From the top of the stairs, he leaned over the banister. “Coming?”
“Right behind you.” Grabbing the handle of her violin case, she followed him.
“Here’s your room, it doesn’t have adjacent bathroom, so you can use the one down the hall.” He set her bags by the bed and stripped the protective sheet off. Tag’s hair sprinkled the air.
She pulled what she needed from her bags and disappeared into the bathroom, a distinct click indicated she’d locked the door. Though her action shouldn’t have bothered him, it did. Just closing the door would’ve been enough. She didn’t trust him.
She reappeared at the bedroom door, changed into a pair of flannel bottoms and shirt. “I’m afraid my mom packed me granny’s PJ’s.”
Good for mom. He had hard time curbing his urges to show Neri how much he desired her. Had her mom packed her anything else but those unimaginative PJ’s, he couldn’t tell how this night would have progressed. “Here are your meds. I can’t make you take them, only strongly suggest you do.”
“Would they dull my senses?”
“N
o, just control the pain.” He took the blood pressure cuff and tapped the bed. “Now, let’s take your vitals before you turn in for the night.”
She obeyed, slowly lowering to the bed. “Is this necessary?”
“It’s not how I envisioned our first night together would go down, but we’ll make up for this and until then, let’s make the best of it.” Fitting the cuff around her arm, he pressed the button and waited until the machine beeped, then displayed the numbers on the small screen.
Tag appeared at the door, jumped onto the bed and didn’t snuggle into the bedding, but allowed her to scratch his head.
Mark couldn’t help his loud exhale. She appeared uncertain and uneasy around him. “There’s no need for doubting or fearing me. If it’ll make you feel better, get dressed and I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.” Okay, he overreacted, but he couldn’t read her. She just seemed spaced out. Maybe a good night’s sleep would cure her of it. He cupped her chin and brushed his thumb over her lips. “Though I hope you choose to stay.”
Her glance darted to his face, surprise reflected in her wide eyes, but she didn’t say anything.
“I’m sorry, love, I didn’t mean it. We’re both tired after the ordeal. I’ll leave you to your rest. If you need me, I’ll be next door.” He patted her hand, grabbed the BP device and stood. “Do you want your door open or closed?”
“Open, please.” Her voice was a mere whisper, but gathered in strength as she added, “Unless you snore.”
“Snore?” Mark huffed. “I haven’t been accused of such an atrocity.”
Neri chuckled.
There may be hope yet. Her sense of humor returned and smoothed the awkward moment. She’d chosen to stay with him tonight.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Neri released a long breath of pent up frustration and sunk into the pillows. Mark had piled them against the headboard so she wouldn’t slide during the night and wake up with horrendous sinus pain. What possessed her to give him the worst case of cold shoulder so suddenly? He’d been such gracious host and caregiver. So now, he could add sourpuss on the list of things he must think of her. There she went again, assuming the worst. Instead, her guilty conscience wouldn’t let her get a wink of sleep, she should salvage what was left of the night and apologize.