by Ann, Natalie
“Did you have the kitchen done first?” she asked.
“What? Oh no, the previous owners gutted and remodeled the entire house last summer before they decided to sell it. I liked their style, but the house is a bit small for me, so I’m adding on.”
She nodded. The house seemed like a perfect size for her and Zoe. She wouldn’t have changed much either, other than a bit of decor. She looked to the right and saw a living space with an oversized sectional and recliner. Of course there was a large flat screen TV mounted on the wall, every man’s requirement. Too bad there were more of the same plain off-white walls.
“They did a beautiful job. I love the floors,” she added, looking down at the rich chocolate hardwood running the length of the entire first floor.
“Yes, everything is so new I can match the floors in the addition rather than having to rip out brand new flooring. The same floors run the entire length of the upstairs.” Zoe was currently squirming to get down, so he gently put her feet on the floor, his gaze following her as she walked over to the large couch and climbed up. Her little form was almost swallowed by its sheer size.
Once Beth saw that Zoe was settled, she turned to Mac. “So, what do you need my help for? It looks pretty perfect to me,” she asked, not wanting to insult him on the bland color choices since he said that he liked the style.
“It’s a little boring,” he said, almost reading her thoughts. “I don’t like flashy, but the white is blah to me. I wasn’t lying when I said I liked what you did with the colors in your house. I thought maybe you could give me some suggestions because I really want to get rid of all these white walls, but replacing it with a tan color isn’t much better, and that is what I keep gravitating toward.”
“Oh, OK, I can help with that. You have color samples, right?” She remembered he had them in his hand the day he saw her buying Zoe’s fan. “Can I ask what you’re doing with the addition? That might help with the color choices or suggestions.”
“Is she OK there?” Mac asked first, after looking at Zoe happily gazing around the room while she sat on the couch.
“Sure. Let me get her a doll. That will keep her entertained for hours.”
After Zoe had her favorite doll in her hand, they heard a faint little giggle and what sounded like, “Dr. Mac’s house.”
He was already laying the house plans on the island, then added, “You can see her from here.”
She turned and looked at the first set of plans as he pointed to a dining room that was going to be placed between the kitchen and the new living room. An office in the front of the house, with the stairs remaining where they were, finished off the plans for the first floor. “I would have thought you’d want a nice view for your office.”
“No, actually if I give myself a bad view it will force me to spend less time in there,” he said devilishly.
She nodded in agreement. “I didn’t think of that.”
After pointing out the large French doors that would be installed connecting the new living room to the deck, which was also being expanded, he pulled the second set of plans out of the pile. “This is the upstairs. Right now there are two good-sized bedrooms and a full bath, but I’m having a large master suite added with a balcony overlooking the lake, and a fourth bedroom.”
Shuffling the plans again, he pulled out the third and final set. “This is for the walkout basement. I’m putting a guest suite down there. I realized how nice it was to have when I was visiting my sister, Brooke, last summer. Her husband has a guest suite in the basement and it gave everyone privacy.”
“It’s almost like you are building a whole new house. Why not buy land and start from scratch?” She couldn’t imagine the amount of money it would take to put this addition on an already existing house.
“There isn’t a lot of land available for sale on the lake, so I couldn’t be too choosy. And this lets me live here while the construction is going on. I know it’s going to get pretty crazy once they start cutting through the existing walls, which will be any day now. The contractor said he would try to get the new walls up fast so that the dust is blocked off. So far he’s been true to his word schedule-wise. Everything is moving fast, and he’s even brought in a few extra crewmembers to get it done as quickly as possible.
After Mac finished up explaining the floor plans, she made some suggestions on colors that she felt would brighten each room up, but not be shocking either. He was a man after all, so she made sure she kept that in mind when placing the samples around the blueprints. Of course, he didn’t have any samples that were too shocking, but surprisingly, he included several color choices she’d had her own eye on when painting her little apartment.
They talked a bit more about the house and her ideas and his plans before Zoe interrupted them. “Mommy, I’m hungry.”
Beth looked at the clock, realizing they had been there almost an hour already and it was close to noon. “OK, honey, let me get you a banana.” She turned to get one out of the bags she brought in. Pulling out the fruit and a sippy cup, she looked around trying to figure out where to have Zoe sit.
Mac seemed to understand her dilemma and offered, “You can put her on one of the chairs at the island. I know they’re high, but there are arms on them, and we can sit by her. Matter of fact, why don’t we eat lunch? I’ve got the makings for sandwiches, a few different things, hopefully something she will like.” He turned to Zoe. “What do you think, Zoe? Want to eat lunch?”
“Peanut butter,” she said with conviction.
“Ah, my favorite, too. Do you like jelly with it?” he asked, while Beth got her situated at the island. He started pulling out bread and a jar of peanut butter, looking completely comfortable to be making lunch for a three-year-old.
“No jelly. Peanut butter, please.”
“You’ve got it.” He turned toward Beth. “Why don’t you grab some sandwich meats out of the fridge in the deli drawer, along with some cheese?” He pulled hard rolls out of the drawer and a bag of chips and then placed them next to the sliced bread from which he was currently making Zoe’s sandwich. “I’ve got this,” he said when she attempted to take over. “I’ve made my fair share of peanut butter sandwiches in my life.”
Somehow she doubted that but let him continue with Zoe’s sandwich while she cut up the banana she had pulled out of her bag and gave Zoe her Sippy cup now filled with water from the bottle she also produced from her bag.
“Do you have a mini store in there?” Mac asked, amused.
“No. But I’m always prepared. Snacks, drinks, toys—all the things to keep a three-year-old happy and entertained,” she stated proudly. Something her mother never considered doing. She was lucky if there was an actual meal served once a day, and most of her meals had come from a box. No, she never went hungry as a child, but nutrition was not on her parents’ radar, which was probably why Beth ate so little growing up. There were only so many bowls of cereal a kid could eat in a day.
“Do you want anything else?” Mac asked when they both finished making their sandwiches, his plate loaded with chips and a pickle, hers looking bare with a hard roll containing a few slices of ham and cheese.
“No, I’m good. This is more than I normally eat for lunch as it is.”
Zoe didn’t have a problem plowing through her entire sandwich and was now finishing off her sliced banana. “Can I have chips, please?” she asked her mother.
“Just a few,” Beth said in warning to Mac when he reached in the bag to place some on Zoe’s plate. “We don’t have a lot of junk food in the house. I’m trying to teach good eating habits early on.”
Again, something Beth was never taught. If she wasn’t eating cereal as a child, she was eating processed crackers and cheese from a can with a side of cookies. Most kids would have loved having that as a meal, but after a few times, it wore on you. She actually longed for fruits, or even some kind of meat.
Mac’s approval showed on his face, and she was slightly warmed by it. “As her pedi
atrician, I commend you. As a guy, I say there is nothing wrong with a bag of chips.” He laughed this time, but amended. “If you don’t eat them all in one sitting.”
Since she saw he had a lot of healthy food, including fresh fruits and vegetables, in his refrigerator, so she didn’t think he was a junk food junky.
Zoe finished off her chips in record time and started to rub her eyes, a sure sign she was getting tired. “Naptime, Mommy.”
Mac looked on in amazement. “I’ve never heard of a child doing that before. If anything, most parents complain they can’t get their children to take a nap and have to lay them down kicking and screaming, or let them fall asleep with the TV on.”
“Oh,” Beth said, flustered as she turned to Mac. “I’m sorry. Sometimes she can skip a nap, but not often. I thought today might be the day, guess not. I should probably get her home.”
“Why? She can take a nap here, right? She can lie down either on the couch, or if that won’t work, then my bed.”
Beth froze at the thought of his bed. No, no way was she going into his bedroom. Not happening, especially with Zoe here, however innocent it may be.
She looked over at the couch, which had a large footrest in one corner making it look like a small bed. Between the arm on one side and the rest of the couch on the other, Zoe would be safe enough. “Well, if you don’t mind, the couch would be fine. But Zoe needs to go potty first,” she said, picking her up off the chair and carrying her to the little half bath.
She was walking back down the hall with Zoe next to her when Mac came down the stairs with a small blanket in his hands. “The central air can get a bit cool so I grabbed a blanket for her too.”
“That was thoughtful. Thank you.”
Once Zoe was lying on the couch, tucked in nice and snug with one arm around her doll, Beth walked back to the kitchen and started to automatically clean up the remains of their lunch. “I’ve got it,” she assured him when Mac tried to help. “Seriously, I appreciate you feeding us,” she said awkwardly.
While she finished cleaning up lunch, he put the rest of the color samples and blueprints away. Thankfully, they were able to get all of that sorted before Zoe decided she was hungry. When everything was stored in its rightful place they walked over to the couch together, Beth suddenly realizing she didn’t have the first clue what to do with herself.
Mac sensed her discomfort and suggested in a whisper, “Want to go for a walk by the water with me? It’s not far, and we can leave the door open and listen for her.”
Beth looked out the existing sliding glass door and noticed the water wasn’t that far from the house, close enough that they could hear Zoe if she called out to them. “But your air conditioning is on.”
“No problem, I’ll leave the door open a crack. It won’t make much of a difference.”
“Then, that would be nice.”
He reached for her hand and threaded his fingers through hers, gently pulling her out the door, leaving it open a crack like he said as they made their way to the water.
His Loss
His strong hand holding hers felt oddly right. She would never admit it, but she’d never had her hand held by a man before, not even her father. It felt like she always dreamed it would—strong and comforting.
“It’s so peaceful here,” she mused, listening to the birds in the trees surrounding his house. She could see a house through the trees to the right, but nothing to the left, the trees being too thick on that side. “Do you have a neighbor over there?”
“Yes, but their house is set back further from the water than mine. Before the trees bloom you can see the house clearly. It’s still far enough away we aren’t on top of each other though.”
They reached the water’s edge where she noticed a small beach that Zoe would love to play on, along with a dock holding a Pontoon Boat. Well, he did ask if they wanted to go for a boat ride, but somehow she hadn’t pictured Mac owning something quite like that.
“I borrowed the boat from my sister’s in-laws for the day. I thought Zoe might enjoy a ride on it. It will go slow and she can walk around and be safe enough.”
“Your sister’s in-laws let you borrow their boat?” she asked in disbelief.
“Yeah, they’re great people. Anyway, they live here on the lake too, along with my sister and her husband, Lucas, and Lucas’s brother Ryan. Actually Brooke and Lucas’s house is only down the road, a pretty fast walk from here. I tend to go down and mooch dinner off her a lot.” He looked at her, his eyes full of humor. “I want to get a boat, but I’m not sure what yet. Definitely not this, it’s not quite my style. Lucas has the jet skis, and Ryan the speedboat, so no rush at the moment, since everyone seems to borrow off of each other.”
Beth couldn’t fathom that, everyone living on the lake and borrowing watercrafts like they were a cup of sugar. Mac and his sister and her husband must have all come from money. Beth was lucky the electricity didn’t get shut off more than twice a year when she was growing up.
She continued to look out at the water quietly, reminiscing about her depressing childhood, when Mac turned toward her. He let go of her hand and lifted his to her face, cupping her cheek, then gently ran his thumb along her jaw. “I’ve wanted to do this for a while now,” he said softly, leaning in close.
His lips settled over hers tenderly at first, testing the waters, letting her get used to the feel of him. When she didn’t pull back, he deepened the kiss a bit more, parting his lips and running his tongue over her upper lip, urging her to participate, then whispered, “Open for me.”
She obeyed and he slid inside her mouth, his tongue touching and tasting hers, encouraging her to join in. She leaned into him mimicking his actions, drawing a groan from deep within his throat.
He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her closer, letting her feel the rock hard length of his body pressed against hers. His torso against her chest, his hips against her, as the kissing continued, not breaking for air—she never wanted this moment to end.
When it did, all to soon, she leaned back and laid her hand on his whiskered cheek, smiling fondly at him. “Zoe was right, it’s soft.”
He pulled her closer, hugging her to him. “What am I going to do with you?” he murmured quietly, but she still heard him.
***
Mac peeked over at Beth’s legs that were stretched out in the chaise lounge next to him on the deck. Today she was wearing a pair of brown shorts riding high on her thighs, exposing even more leg the way she was seated. A loose-fitting light green sleeveless top in deference to the late June humidity and brown leather sandals that were currently lying on the wooden deck completed her look.
Her ankles were crossed, showcasing her pale blue pedicure. This time her big toe was decorated with white stripes. She sure had pretty feet, he thought.
He looked up when he noticed how quiet it had gotten and saw she was watching him stare at her legs, causing him to shrug ruefully.
They had been sitting on the deck for over an hour chatting about life in general. He had been entertaining her with ridiculously funny comments his young patients had said over the years. “I’m telling you, parents have no clue what their children hear or perceive is going on. Adults always think kids are too young to understand, or can’t hear them, and they never learn,” he added, chuckling. “Young kids have no filters. They say what is on their mind and always know more than you think they do.”
“Thanks for the warning,” she said with a heartfelt laugh. “I’ll pay more attention to what I’m doing and where Zoe is at all times now.”
“Somehow I don’t think you’ve done much that would warrant her telling stories.”
She paused and asked, “So why did you move? It seems to me you were pretty happy at your last job.”
He reached over and held his hand out, palm open, waiting for her before he answered. She finally got the hint and placed her hand in his, threading their fingers together. “I followed Brooke.”
“Ju
st like that? Picked up your whole life for your sister?” she asked, stunned.
“It’s long story, but suffice it to say, we’ve always had each other. She needed to relocate in order to move on with her life. And I realized last summer that I needed to be here, too.”
He didn’t really want to share any more than that, not now anyway. “What about you?” he asked. “Why did you did you move?”
“I needed to if I wanted to give Zoe a better life than I had. And I do, more than anything.”
“It had to be hard being on your own, moving like you did. You had help from your family before you moved, right?” he asked, hedging. He wanted to know her story, wanted to know about Zoe’s father, but couldn’t think of a polite way to ask without just blurting it out.
“Yeah, it was hard. I had my mom’s help. Sort of,” she trailed off, then changed the subject again. “So why pediatrics? Why not something more glamorous like a surgeon?”
He tried to laugh. He had seen the change come over her when she mentioned her mother, but he didn’t push. Squeezing her hand a bit for reassurance, he answered, “That’s easy, I’ve always loved kids.”
“I can see that, and that you’re really good with them. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but it’s a bit shocking. Most men aren’t normally that good with kids, at least other people’s kids,” she said, trying to clarify.
“True. I guess it goes way back though. I’ve always been someone who loved to cuddle. I know, sounds silly,” he added when she laughed at him. “Brooke always teased me about it. I have memories of always crawling in someone’s lap for a hug.” His eyes twinkled sheepishly. She didn’t need to know his mother always pushed him off, or told him to keep his hands to himself. “But it ties into some of my first memories as a kid, always wanting to hug people, get close, even with my doctors.” He chuckled lightly. “And the first memory I have of a doctor’s office as a child left me scarred for life.”