by Holly Rayner
“I like the chicken tacos,” Maya says.
“That’s my favorite,” I answer.
“Excellent.” Kal stands. “I’ll call in the order right away.”
I rise as well. “Since it sounds like we have time, I’ll run home and shower real quick.”
“Be back soon,” Maya calls, though she has the TV remote in her hands and has already put a cartoon channel on.
“I will.”
Kal walks me to the side door we originally entered through.
“You have a real cool kid,” I say.
He pauses, hand on the door. “I know, but thank you. It’s good to hear it from others.”
“Really, again, I don’t want to impose on your dinnertime.”
“Julia.” The deep timbre of his voice holds me in place. We’re close, standing right next to the door. Breathing in deep enough, I taste mint coming off his skin.
“Yes?” I croak.
“It would be a pleasure to have you over for dinner,” he says slowly, enunciating each word.
The way he looks at me makes me believe it.
“Then I would love to come. Be back soon.”
He nods and opens the door. The walk across the yard isn’t one I take alone, for I can feel his gaze all over me.
Chapter 4
Julia
At Shay’s, I hop into the master bath’s shower and do a quick rinse off. I could do with washing my hair, but I’m too eager to get back to Kal’s and Maya’s house.
As I dry off and go through my clothes to find a pair of jean shorts and a simple black T-shirt, Kal enters my mind. My first instinct is to text or call Laura to tell her all about the hot guy next door, but something is stopping me.
By the time I’ve run a brush through my elbow-length hair and slipped on my favorite pair of sneakers, I’ve realized that my desire to stay quiet about Kal has to do with nothing more than trying out new ways of doing things.
I’m not New York Julia right now. I’m Ohio Julia.
Who is she exactly? I don’t know yet, but I’m gonna find out. I’m gonna try things one way then another, have fun, and see where it takes me. New York Julia is all about planning, needing to know exactly what’s next, and talking everything out with her friends. Could be Ohio Julia is different in some ways.
I’m not sure yet.
Catching my reflection in the foyer’s mirror, I fluff my hair and straighten my shirt. My heart’s beating fast, and my palms are getting sweaty. I’m nervous to see Kal again, but it’s also all I can think about.
“Easy girl,” I warn my reflection. “You met him today.”
It doesn’t matter. It also doesn’t matter that I was honest with Laura about not looking for romance right now.
I’m no dummy. Something special has fallen into my lap. Unless Kal has some literal or figurative skeletons in the closet, he’s a total catch. I’m not turning my back on this kind of chance.
Plus, I remind myself as I slip the house key into my shorts pocket and head out, I’m Ohio Julia now. I decide in that moment that she’s the kind of woman who seizes opportunity when she sees it.
The sun crept downward while I was inside showering, and a dusky haze covers the neighborhood. A woman walks a dog, and across the street kids chase fireflies.
Halfway to Kal’s front door I stop to take it all in. High above me, the leaves on the mammoth oak tree in his yard whisper in the breeze. Wrapping my arms around myself, I close my eyes and breathe in the moment.
I wish you could see this, Mom.
I want to believe she can. I do believe she can, that she’s watching over me, like she always promised she would, even before she got sick and I was nothing more than a little kid afraid of the dark, calling for my mother to tuck me in and promise me that her love would be all the armor I’d ever need.
Some moments, that hope feels like nothing more than just that. Other times, like now, it’s a reality that can’t be denied. She’s close. I can’t see her, can’t hear her voice, but a part of her is here.
Opening my eyes, I sigh and turn around.
Kal stands in his open doorway, warm light spilling around his form.
My breath catches in my throat.
I can’t move. He doesn’t.
He only stands there, hands in his pockets. Much like when I met him earlier today, his face is obscured, but I feel his attention on me like it’s a firm touch.
“Hi,” I rasp.
“Sorry.” He ducks his head. “I was…”
“Spying?” I ask, hoping there’s enough lilt in my voice to let him know I’m not being serious.
“I didn’t mean to. My apologies again.” He starts to go back inside.
“It’s okay,” I rush to tell him. With long strides, I cross the yard and join him in the threshold.
My head comes barely above his shoulders, and we each have to tilt our faces to meet eye to eye.
“You have good timing,” he says. “The food arrived two minutes ago.”
“Sweet.”
A question lingers on his face. Could be he wants to ask me about what I was doing standing in his yard with my eyes closed, but he doesn’t say anything, only extends his arm and gestures for me to go inside.
Maya’s in the living room, where the coffee table has been pushed out of the way to make room for a spread-out sheet.
“Dad said we could eat in here,” Maya says. “Like a picnic.”
“I love it,” I say, taking a seat cross-legged on the edge of the sheet.
Kal fetches plates and silverware, and we open up the boxes of rice, beans, and tacos and pass everything around.
“Is there Mexican food in New York?” Maya asks.
“Oh, yeah.” I dump salsa onto a taco. “There’s almost every kind of food in the world there. It’s what you would call a cultural melting pot.”
“We have the best Mexican here, though,” she says, full of confidence.
“It would be hard for me to argue that. Hey, what are you going to do this summer? Have any big plans?”
Across from us, Kal smiles slightly. He seems happy sitting there and listening to our conversation.
“Oh, yeah,” Maya says. “I’m going to the pool with my friend Emily. Her family has a pool at their apartment building, and it’s really nice. It has umbrellas you can sit under when you’re tired from swimming, and it has a snack stand where you can get popsicles. Plus, she has a dog. I like dogs. Cats are okay, but they don’t always come to you when you call them.”
“I like both,” I say. “I’m actually kind of confused about whether I’m a cat or a dog person. Do you think that’s okay?”
“It’s totally okay!” Maya says. “Maybe you like both, and you’ll always like both, and that’s fine. No one should tell you what to like.”
“Yeah, you’re right, Maya.”
We finish up the meal with Maya talking more about her upcoming summer, sharing everything from the beach trip Kal has promised her to the reading list her school has assigned.
“I’m done,” she announces, taking a long drink of water and sighing. “Can I play my tablet games?”
“Thirty minutes,” Kal says.
“It’s summer, Dad!”
“That doesn’t mean you can have all that screen time close to bed. Thirty minutes. Any longer and it will keep you awake.”
“Some people fall asleep in front of TVs,” she points out. “They’re fine.”
“Thirty minutes,” he says, voice getting sterner.
Maya must know she’s pushing it, because she doesn’t say anything else, only picks up her plate and takes it to the kitchen. There’s the sound of a door opening and, a few moments later, cartoon voices.
“Thanks for dinner,” I tell Kal.
“I’m sorry it was only the best Mexican food in the world.”
I laugh, and he grins big, showing off straight, white teeth.
Collecting the plates and takeout containers left on the sheet, we
carry them into the kitchen. The clock there says it’s seven. I don’t know much about bedtime for elementary school kids, but it’s probably wise I duck out sooner rather than later.
“New York to Ohio,” Kal murmurs.
Turning from where I’ve dropped the Styrofoam containers in the trash, I find him rinsing our plates and studying me. The flush I’ve already come to associate with his gaze washes over my body.
“Interesting choice,” he says.
I watch as he loads the dishwasher. “Yeah,” is all I have to say.
“Why here? Is it merely because Shay needed a house sitter and you needed a retreat?”
My throat thickens. It’s hard to look at him. The tiles on the floor draw my attention.
“It appears I spoke out of turn,” Kal says. “I apologize for that.”
“No.” My head snaps up. “You have nothing to be sorry for. It’s…”
My chest constricts. It’s hard to believe it hasn’t even been three weeks since Mom’s passing. The giant hole she left behind affects everything I do. It always will.
“My mom died recently,” I tell Kal, watching as his features soften and that familiar pity enters his eyes. It’s the typical reaction.
“That’s dreadful,” he says. “I’m sorry. When did she pass?”
“Three weeks ago.”
“Julia.” His breath is sharp. With no warning, he takes his hand in mine and squeezes it lightly.
We’ve only known each other for a few hours, but the kindness he’s showing me has no bounds. I can tell by the energy Kal gives off that he’s the type of person who shows up for those in need. Maya has been blessed indeed.
She’s probably too young to know it now. I hope that when she grows up she realizes that truth.
“It’s okay,” I tell him, even though it’s not.
He releases my hand, leaving me instantly missing his touch.
“I am here for you if you need anything,” he says.
“Thank you.” A deep breath brings my shoulders to my ears. It’s not in my nature to ask for help. I’m not sure what I would even come to Kal for—other than someone to pass the time with.
Which sounds perfect, actually.
“Losing a parent is a terrible thing,” he says.
“Yeah.” That lump is back in my throat. “My dad is gone as well. It’s been six years.”
His lips tighten. “And your mother? Was it sudden?”
“No.” I offer a weak smile. “She’d had cancer for a while. I was her main caregiver, so having her gone all of a sudden, it’s… strange, you know?”
He nods.
“Shay offered me her house to stay at for the summer,” I continue, “and it seemed like a good opportunity to get some rest. To find some… I dunno…” I shake my head. “Peace, I guess.”
“That makes sense. You deserve peace, and I hope you will find it in Ohio. Personally, I believe that if peace is what you are searching for, this is a good place to start.”
Something about the way he says it makes me think he’s speaking from personal experience. Where is Kal from? How and why did he end up in Ohio?
“You seemed happy this evening.” Kal angles his head, dark eyes working hard as they can to read me. “Or was that an act?”
“It wasn’t. I was happy. I’m feeling better about this move with each minute I’m here.”
“Good.”
“I almost don’t want to go back to Brooklyn,” I laugh.
“There are some nice houses for rent down the street from here.”
“Never say never.”
“Dad, help!” Maya calls from the other side of the house. “My drawer fell out!”
Kal purses his lips and shakes his head, but it’s clear he’s more humored than annoyed. This man has a lot of patience. How he does the single-parent thing without completely losing his mind is a mystery.
“How did that happen?” he calls over his shoulder.
“I was getting my pajamas,” Maya calls back mournfully.
Kal’s eyebrows knit together. “Excuse me a minute,” he says.
“Hey, it’s okay. Maybe I should go?” I hook a thumb over my shoulder at the side door. “Is it bedtime anyway? She sounds tired.”
“It is.” His look is apologetic. I don’t mind at all that he seems sorry to see me go.
“Thank you for tonight. Today. Everything.”
“You are welcome. I’m here should you need anything.” His gaze holds mine. A powerful energy grows between us, yanking me toward him.
I resist it. For now.
“Good night,” I murmur.
“Good night.”
Slipping outside, I head for the house next door, my face stretched by the biggest smile I’ve worn in months.
Chapter 5
Julia
Three Days Later
My temples pound with a dull throb. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and realize how tight my shoulders are.
“What’cha doing?” a peppy voice asks.
I open my eyes at the same moment Magnolia sits down next to me. She notices the papers spread across the coffee shop table.
“Oh,” she says. “Sorry. You’re working on something. I can—”
“No. It’s okay. I was almost done.”
Gathering the papers, I stack them and put them away in my bag. It’s the last bit of paperwork related to my mother’s estate. Going over this kind of thing was easier in New York. Maybe finishing up tonight accompanied by a glass of wine instead of a café au lait will help.
“How are you liking it here?” Magnolia asks. “Did you see the giant measuring cup yet? It’s right off the highway. Biggest measuring cup in the country.”
“How big is it?”
Her lips twist. “Hmm… I dunno. Maybe as big as a hot tub. I can take you out there to look at it, if you want.”
“That sounds nice.”
“Sweet.” She throws the bar towel she’s been wiping down tables with over her shoulder.
“Oh, hey. I met that artist.” I nod at Kal’s painting. “He lives next door to where I’m staying.”
Magnolia’s eyes light up. “Kal,” she breathes.
“You know him?”
“Well, kind of. I know who he is. He comes in here sometimes. Does he know me? Probably not.”
“I don’t know about that,” I say. “You’re pretty memorable.”
“Yeah, but not like he is. He’s one of, like, maybe three attractive men in this town.”
“That bad, huh?”
“Yeah.” Magnolia props her chin in her hand and sighs. “In New York, there are models walking around everywhere in the streets, aren’t there?”
“I guess there are some, but there are also bankers and teachers and truck drivers walking around, too. And carpenters.”
I smile at that last part. What could be better than a strong, able-bodied carpenter who looks like a model?
“Do you know anything about him?” I ask. “Kal?”
“Not really. He likes black coffee. I know he has a little girl.” Magnolia waggles her eyebrows. “I know he’s not married.”
“Is he divorced?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know. I think he moved to town with his daughter when she was, like, an itty bitty baby. Yeah, that’s what I heard.”
“Hm.” I sip my au lait. It’s gone cold.
“I don’t think he has a girlfriend or anything. Which is kind of weird.”
“Why would that be weird?”
“Because I don’t remember ever seeing him with a woman.” Magnolia fiddles with the bandana holding her hair back. “I grew up in Sterling, and I’ve worked here for way long. I’ve seen almost everyone with different boyfriends and girlfriends. Not him.”
“Interesting.”
So Kal doesn’t date?
Or he keeps it discreet?
Why keep your love life so on the down-low that you won’t even bring dates to the local coffee shop?
&n
bsp; I haven’t exactly been an active dater the last few years, especially since Mom got sick, but I can’t imagine never having romance in my life at all. Did something happen to Kal to make his swear it off for good?
“He lives next door to you, you said?” Magnolia’s eyes sparkle. “What’s that like?”
“I haven’t seen him much, really.”
It’s true. Since dinner with Kal and Maya a few nights ago, I haven’t seen them at all. This is probably due to my taking advantage of my time off and sleeping in late each morning. Kal’s car is gone by the time I get up. I guess Maya must go to camp or a sitter’s while he’s at work.
It’s disappointing that he hasn’t stopped by, but the pendulum swings both ways. I could always drop by his house.
The door opens, and a woman carrying a baby in a sling enters.
Magnolia pops to standing. “Duty calls,” she says. “See you later?”
“Yes.” Standing as well, I shoulder my bag. “And checking out a giant measuring cup sometime sounds awesome.”
It’s hotter outside than it was when I entered the shop’s delicious air-conditioning an hour ago. Taking it slow, I mosey my way down the sidewalk. Over the last three days, I’ve checked out three restaurants downtown, visited the library, and done the walking trail along the river twice.
Other than that, I’ve cleaned Shay’s house from top to bottom. It’s a habit I intend to keep up. To thank her for letting me stay there, I want the home to be sparkling like new when she gets back.
Keeping my hands busy is the one thing that stops my mind from being overactive. There’s little left to do around Shay’s, though, and I’m starting to get bored.
From in my bag, my phone starts ringing. I pull it out and smile when I see it’s Laura calling.
“Oh, hello,” I answer.
“Weird. You still have a New York accent.”
“Very funny. How are you?”
“Missing you desperately,” she says. “What’s going on? Tell me everything. I’m sorry I haven’t called yet. Am I bad friend?”
“You’re not bad at all. Everything is… good.”