by C. A. Harms
“Well, if it isn’t my handsome son, finally stopping by for a visit.”
Stepping up behind her, I leaned in and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I was just here three days ago.” Smiling, I pulled back, and she nudged me in the side with a pushed-back elbow.
“Three days is far too long.” The funny part was she was not joking, not in the least. I was an only child, and if she had it her way, I would still be living at home. My father always teased me while growing up, calling me Momma’s boy daily. The truth was I always would be. Like I said, my mother was without a doubt the most amazing woman I knew.
“Your father is in the garage watching that dreadful television that takes up half the wall. I swear he can’t watch a game of football on a normal television. Life-sized men in front of him, it makes no sense.”
I hold back my laughter, listening to the same bickering argument my mother uses almost daily.
Willa Layne has always been a simple gal. Give her a kitchen filled with ingredients or a library full of books and she’d be busy for hours. Days, even. She enjoyed the little things. A glass of tea on the back porch, listening to the sounds of the birds chirping, but my father, he was an entirely different breed. It all made me wonder how the two of them ever came together in the first place. Their interests were like night and day. The thing was I had never seen two people more in love. They may bicker and hassle one another almost constantly, but at the end of the day there was always undeniable love.
“I didn’t come over to see Dad.” I actually came to see them both, but I loved to see my mother’s face light up. “What can I help with?”
A bright beaming smile, one that stretched out so wide on her lips I was sure it couldn’t get any bigger. “You could knead this dough.”
A lot of men may feel that baking threatened their masculinity, but me, I believed it made me more appealing. Come on now, what woman wouldn’t love a man who knew his way around the kitchen?
“Pies?”
“Six of them, for the Sunday brunch at church.” My father and I weren’t the only ones to appreciate my mother’s baking abilities. “Betsy Miller is bringing her chili, Sandy Tomlinson her lasagna—”
“And all everyone will be doing is rushing through all that to get to these pies. I think we both know they are the best part of these brunches.” She blushed. My ninety-pound, four-foot-eleven mother blushed at my words and tucked her chin to her chest.
“You’re biased.”
“And honest.” Instead of arguing, she continued on with fitting the dough into the pans and pinching the edges. Spanning them out in front of her, she positioned them exactly how she wanted them.
I watched, taking in her movements, even though I’d seen her work so many times before. She still amazed me. Everything so exact, each looking as if they were too perfect to eat. I knew without a doubt that she could do it with her eyes closed and they would still be flawless.
“So tell me…” My mother broke the silence, and I glanced up to find her looking at me as she continued to store the apple concoction before her. “I heard from Winifred Ewing that you were seeing that pretty dental assistant from town.” My pulse quickened. Assistant, more like hygienist, but it wasn’t really worth the correction. “What was her name again?” She paused, and instead of responding, I allowed her to work it out, knowing she already knew. That dramatic effect of a mother prying, I hated to take all the fun away. “Oh yes, Holly.”
“Uh, what?” Standing tall, I stared at her, awaiting the crack of laughter or any little sign of humor.
“Holly Martin, Edgar’s granddaughter.” I was being pranked; there was no other explanation. My sweet mother was trying to get a rise out of me. “Apparently, Edgar told your father that the two of you dated once before but the timing was off. But after recently reconnecting, you’ve decided to give it another shot.”
“Ma.” My mind was racing.
“I’d love to meet her.” She was again focused on her pies, with a look of what I could only describe as hurt on her face. “I must admit hearing my only son has a girlfriend from someone other than him is a little hurtful.”
“Ma.” She continued to mumble, lost in her own thoughts. Needing her full attention, I committed the sin of all sins in a woman’s kitchen, and I grabbed the spoon and bowl from her hands.
When her mouth fell open and she narrowed her eyes at me, I knew I better speak fast or run. “I never told you about Holly, because she and I are not dating.” The glare didn’t leave her face. It was now accompanied with the crossing of her arms over her chest. “Yes, she and I went on a date a long time ago, but it never went further than that.”
Why are mothers always so invested in the love lives of their sons?
“I have been talking to Chloe Rigdon, though.” My mother was very familiar with the Rigdon family. “Everything is still very new, and I’m not even sure you could consider us more than friends at this point, but I do feel like there could be more.”
I didn’t miss the way her face lit up. “Have you told her?”
“I think she knows.”
Stupid boy. If my mother was one thing, it was blunt. She always said what was the point of feeling a certain way about something if you couldn’t express it. Not everyone would like what you had to say, but they were the ones that would have to learn to deal with it or walk away. On most occasions, I appreciated her honesty. That was when she wasn’t drilling me.
“How is anyone supposed to know you feel a certain way if you don’t tell them?”
“Ma.”
“Don’t Ma me, boy.” She turned once again to face me. I knew it was time to listen and not argue. She may be tiny, but she is mighty. “You need to be clear, no need to sit around leaving her guessing. Tell the girl how you feel and stop playing games. As your father would say, be a man and leave the games behind. For once, I agree with your father.”
I smiled and crossed my arms over my chest, leaning back against the counter with my hip. Damn woman was a pushy little shit.
“Another thing you need to do is clear up the misunderstanding about you and Edgar’s granddaughter.”
Misunderstanding, my ass. I knew exactly where that bull was stemming from.
“Something like that could complicate things.” She had no idea.
Chapter Fifteen
Chloe
“Can you clean up room three?” Holly moved past me and didn’t even offer me a glance when she barked orders.
“Excuse me?”
It was then she paused in her march and looked back over her shoulder. Her nose wrinkled, her brows creased, and her lips pressed in a tight line. “I said room three needs to be cleaned up.”
Part of me thought that just doing it would make things easy, keep the peace, so to speak, but an even bigger part loved the fact that this was not my job but in fact hers. “Then I guess you should probably get working on it.”
It was my turn to smirk.
“Who do you think you are?” Holly was taller than me, a little fuller, and as she got closer, I did feel a little inferior, but I stood tall and didn’t crack. “You always were a spoiled bitch. Got what she wanted when she wanted it.” I flinched when she called me a bitch a little too loud. I was fearful that my coworkers might hear us. I’d never really liked conflict; it made me nervous. “This sweet little innocent girl that everyone always catered to, it makes me sick. You have everyone fooled, but I know you’re nothing more than a selfish brat who isn’t happy with having everything already. You had to go after the one guy that I’ve always had a thing for.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t act like you don’t know how I feel about Landon. Hell, everyone knows.”
“First of all, I didn’t go after him.” I felt my pulse quicken. No way was I going to allow her to make me out to be some home-wrecker of a nonexistent relationship between her and Landon. “Second, the two of you dated once, and that was it.”
“Is th
at what he told you?” She let out a condescending laugh. Stepping in a little closer, she leaned in, or more like over me. “There was a whole lot more than just a date between him and me, more like some heated nights and a lot of promises.” I felt my stomach sour. “You need to back off.”
The way she narrowed her eyes at me inflicted an anger within me. “No, you need to—”
“Ladies?” The sound of Dr. Reynolds’ voice echoed down the hallway. “Is there a problem I need to know about?”
I’d been working here since I graduated college, and though it may be taxing at times, I enjoyed my work. I hated the idea of that peace being disrupted by this horrible, dramatic woman.
“Nothing, Doctor.” I bit the inside of my cheek to remind myself that this was neither the time nor the place to convince him she was psychotic. “We were just having a conversation about a patient, but everything is good.”
It was so far from good it might as well have been an alternate universe. The audacity of this bitch, it made me want to rip her eyes out.
“Okay then.” I didn’t miss the hesitation in his voice. The man was not stupid, but he gave us a little nod and turned around to walk in the opposite direction.
I let out a slow, calming breath and again started to walk away myself.
“This conversation is not over.” I could hear her feet shuffling behind me. Once I reached the break room, I gathered my purse from my locked compartment and my car keys. Pausing at the refrigerator, I retrieved my small lunch container, and when I turned around, I found her blocking the exit. I narrowed my eyes, she did the same, and then I thought to myself what in the hell was I doing? Fighting at work with a woman I already despised over a man I have gone on a couple friendly excursions with.
“I’m not dating Landon.” I felt defeat rush through me when I saw her shoulders lift and her brow arch. “I don’t like you, there’s absolutely no reason for me to pretend that I do, but I’m not the kind of girl to steal a man from anyone else.”
“So you’ll back off.” It was not a question but more of a statement. Her telling me I would and accepting that she had won.
I used this as the opportunity to move past her.
“Chloe?”
Once in the clear, I squared off and decided that feeling like I’d just lost a battle didn’t sit well with me. I may not like confrontation, but this bitch really got under my skin. “The thing is I said that I would never steal a man from another, but the truth is Landon isn’t yours. Somehow in your delusional mind, you’ve created this little dream life with him, and until he tells me that he wants that life with you, or anyone else for that matter, the man is fair game.”
It felt good to bring back a look of panic to her face.
Ignoring her need to carry this out any further, I pushed through the back door and out into the Georgia heat. The parking lot almost glowed from the casting of the sun as it began to set. I could no longer see my car where it was parked in the back corner of the lot as it was now dwarfed by a much larger one. A familiar one, yet very unexpected.
“Figured since you showed up at my work site, I would pay you back and show up at yours.” Looking to my left, I saw Landon leaning against the railing just beside a small outdoor seating area that we all used sometimes for our breaks. “Of course I don’t look half as good as you did, but…” He shrugged and looked down at his fitted and frayed jeans, work boots, still holding a small amount of mud on the soles, and the snug t-shirt hugging his thick chest and arms. Oh, and the ball cap, only this time it was facing in the right direction.
I stared, unable to form the words because I swore this man had the ability to scramble my brain in seconds.
I heard the door come open behind me, followed by the clicking of heels. “Chloe, I said we—” The clicking paused, my heart raced, and Landon looked past me to the woman standing behind me.
“Hey you.” I watched his face for any reaction that would confirm he felt an ounce of attraction toward her. “Did you finally stop by to take me out for that drink you promised me?”
I felt her arm brush up against mine, and I held my breath, waiting.
“Actually, I think it was you that offered that.” My heart sank.
“Tomato, tomahto.” She laughed, and something shifted inside of me. Something dark and ugly. I wanted to slap her, face Holly and just give it all I had. More like punch her in her nose. I wanted to release all the frustrations I felt on this woman and not feel an ounce of guilt. This was not me; I was not this person.
“If you’ll excuse me.” I held on to my bag a little tighter and moved toward my car. I heard my name, followed by Holly’s annoying coos, but I didn’t stop. I just wanted to distance myself from this entire situation and figure it out in the privacy of my own home with a bottle of wine.
Just as I rounded the end of Landon’s truck, I found myself trapped between his and mine. I felt him grab my hand. I stumbled, and he held on a little tighter, forcing me to face him.
“Hey, Kitten.” Again my heart felt like it seized in my chest. “Why are you rushing off?”
My chest shook annoyingly as I took in a deep breath. I was hoping he hadn’t noticed, but when concern filled his eyes, I understood that Landon was a very observant man.
“I didn’t promise her anything.” Looking away, I squeezed my eyes tightly to ward off the rush of emotions I did not want to feel. Landon stepped in closer, and with his hand, he cupped my cheek, using his thumb to guide my chin up. My gaze met his, and a shiver ran through me. “Talk to me.”
“I’m fine.” Pressing my lips into a tight line, I counted in my mind over and over, refusing to give in to all this dramatic bullshit that had managed to fall in my lap suddenly.
“You’re not, but I get it.” The way his thumb soothingly traced over my jaw was comforting. “I told you before that I’m not interested in Holly.”
I closed my eyes, again feeling my emotions get the best of me.
“I thought I’d made it clear who I was interested in, but someone has clarified the situation to me recently. A wise woman gave me a little nudge and told me to man up, make it clear, and not to leave anymore for guessing.”
Opening my eyes, I found Landon staring at me with a softness in his eyes. His hand still cupped my face, his thumb still exploring the contour of my jaw.
“You, Chloe Rigdon.” I shuddered at his words. “I’m interested in you, only you.” I nodded like some damned fool, but I couldn’t think of anything else to offer. I was a little thrown about everything that was happening.
Chapter Sixteen
Landon
She was so beautiful it hurt. My chest felt tight, and my legs felt heavy as I watched and waited for just the right moment to bring this unsettled uncertainty between us to rest. I wanted Chloe, not just for now, but I wanted to see where this thing between us could go. And when I said that, I meant I was looking toward the future, far off and not just a month from now.
I’d only spent a little time alone with her, but in that time, I’d come to realize that there was so much more to this sweet woman, and I wanted to know it all.
“I came here tonight to ask you if I could take you out on a date.” Her brows wrinkled in the cutest way. “No fishing, no night out with the crowd, just you and me.”
Again she nodded, and I wanted to laugh, but I held strong.
“That’s a yes?” I gripped her hip with my free hand and took one more step closer. “Say it.” My nose grazed hers, and her breath hitched.
“Yes,” she whispered.
I leaned in, and she closed her eyes, expecting me to kiss her. I wanted to, more than anything, but I didn’t want it to be here. Not after everything that had just taken place. I would save it for tonight. I also knew it would kill me to do so. Instead, I pressed a kiss to her cheek, directly at the corner of her mouth.
“You head home.” I stepped back, creating space between us before I decided to throw it all out the window and pin her against the
side of my truck or hers. “We’ll both get cleaned up, and then I’ll be by to pick you up at seven.”
We were back to the nodding thing as she repositioned her purse on her shoulder. Fucking beautiful, breathtaking, and the woman didn’t have a single clue of her beauty.
I led her to her truck with my hand on the small of her back. After she was safely tucked inside, I offered her another kiss, only this time I got a little closer to her mouth, fighting the urge to take more. I had never been this wound up, and I could feel myself falling fast.
“Seven,” I said, clearing my throat as I pulled back and quickly closed her door. She stared at me through the window as she started her truck and began to pull out of the parking lot.
As I rounded my vehicle and paused to see the taillights of Chloe’s truck disappear around the corner, I dug my own keys out of my pocket.
“You’re gonna get bored real fast.” With my hand on the door handle of my truck, I let out a slow breath. “She’s a sit-at-home-and-watch-movies kind of girl. Those movies about fluffy animals and happy times. She’s a dinner in, bed by nine, church on Sunday, bored by thirty type.”
My mom was right; this was going to complicate things. Holly was a mess.
“If memory serves me, you prefer the wild nights and crazy times.” My stomach knotted. “Up against the side of a night club, in a dark alley. Skirt hiked up around a girl’s waist, pants undone and pooled low on your hips. The thrill of being caught driving you forward. That’s the Landon I remember.”
I turned around to face her.
“You know we never got to finish that night.” Holly placed her finger in the center of my chest. “We were so close, and the anticipation has been killing me since then. The not knowing just how great we’d be together. The desire to feel you inside—”
“Not gonna happen.” I may have left a few details out about my encounter with Holly, but telling the girl you’re interested in that you almost had sex in an alley with someone they clearly disliked didn’t seem like the perfect way to kick off the start of a relationship. Plus Chloe and I were already so rocky.