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She continues to ignore me, but that’s okay because it gives me some time to take in the house. I’m surprised to see the place rather clean. You’d think a man living on his own with a kid and no woman would result in the house being a total pigsty. But every surface is clear of dust, the pillows on the couch are fluffed, and the room smells fresh. Even the framed photos on the wall are clean and dust free. When I catch a glimpse of the plug-in wax warmer, I know that he doesn’t do all of this alone. He has a cleaning lady.
“Done,” Ava says, stealing my attention from a picture of a young Lincoln on the wall holding his newborn daughter. I turn to see her crawl onto the couch. She lays on her side, pulls her knees to her chest, and then wraps her arms around them—eyes still glued to the TV.
Her plate is empty so I grab the paper napkin off the table. “Let’s get you cleaned up so we don’t get food on the couch.”
She turns her head so I can wipe her face and then she holds up her hands so I can clean them off too. Once she’s wiped free of pizza sauce and grease, I pick up her plate and take it into the kitchen to clean up but really, it’s just to give me a reason to continue exploring. I want to get to know more about him, but I can’t just snoop or be obvious about it. I hope to maybe find something that we have in common, something we can connect on. What kind of books does he read? What’s his diet like? What’s his favorite color? Anything I can use to get him on my side so that maybe he’ll stop giving me the cold shoulder.
10
LINC
I’ve been anxious all night. Ever since I had to walk out of my house, leaving my daughter with the woman I had a one-night stand with and barely know. I’m not anxious, because I’m worried, she won’t be taken care of. I know Emery will take good care of her. Even though I don’t know Emery that well, something tells me she's a good woman. She’s sweet, she loves kids, and I know for a fact she can pass a background check because she works at the daycare. I’m nervous because I’m worried Ava will grow too attached to her. Not only is my four-year-old daughter spending time with this woman at daycare but now she’s seeing her in her home too? I just worry that Ava will start to see her as a mother figure and that’s something I don’t want to happen. I don’t want her to have another mother figure walk out on her.
I get off work at ten and because I came back in to cover for one of the guys, my morning shift tomorrow gets pushed back by a few hours. I climb behind the wheel of my truck and I drive straight home. Approaching the house, I’m not surprised to see it dimly lit inside. The front porch light is on—it’s on a timer—and I can see the blue light of the TV lighting up the living room. When I turn into the drive, I see the yellow light through the kitchen window, telling me the light above the stove is on. I hit the button on my visor and the garage door opens, allowing me to pull inside. I hit the button again as I shift into park and then I kill the engine before climbing out.
I open the door into the house and step into the laundry room. I turn and lock the door behind me then hang up my gun belt while kicking off my shoes. I enter the kitchen finding it spotless. The cleaning lady didn’t come today. I had dishes in the sink from breakfast and from making Ava a pizza for dinner. Not to mention cups, glasses, and utensils that I was planning on washing once I got Ava to bed tonight. I guess Emery took it upon herself to clean up. That makes me feel relieved because I’m already tired, but I also feel I really owe her even more now.
I walk into the living room, finding her laying on the couch. Her eyes leap from the TV to me and she inhales sharply like I scared her. Her hand flies to her mouth, almost like she’s silencing a scream. “You scared me,” she mumbles, sitting up. “I didn’t even hear you come in.” She picks up the remote and hits the mute button.
“Sorry about that.” I tuck my hands into my pants pockets. “How’d everything go?”
She nods as she slides her feet into her sandals. “Good. Ava ate all of her pizza. We played in the backyard for about an hour before we came in and got her cleaned up. After her bath, she had some milk, crackers, and fruit for a snack. Then we brushed her teeth and I tucked her in. I read her a story and she was out before it was even over.” She stands up and walks around the coffee table so there’s nothing between us. “Her night light is on and I left the door cracked. I also washed the dishes in the sink. I left them in the drainer because I didn’t want to snoop around to find where they all go. Hope that’s okay.”
I nod. “Of course. You didn’t have to do that.”
She shrugs. “It was nothing. After she was out, I got pretty bored and needed something to do anyway.”
I reach into my back pocket for my wallet. “At least let me pay you for your time.” I open my wallet.
“No, seriously. It’s not needed.”
“I can’t ask you to do a favor like this and not pay you back. You did a job. Let me pay you for it.”
She smiles, crosses her arms over her chest, and shakes her head. “No, I don’t want your money.”
I take a deep breath and let it out slowly, sliding my wallet back into my pocket. “What do you want then?”
Her brow arches. “Really?”
I shrug, now worried. What could she possibly ask for?
She blushes a little. “I understand. I know why you came into the city that night. I know why you wanted a one night stand. And why you seemed so bothered when you realized we were neighbors. You don’t date because you want to protect Ava. You don’t want her getting attached to anyone in case the relationship fails. Am I right?”
I slide my hands back into my pockets as I nod my head.
“And when you saw me, you were pissed because you didn’t expect to see me again. You thought you could walk away from that night and leave it all in the past. But here I was, staring you right in the face, basically telling you that I wasn’t going anywhere. Then to top it all off, I work at her daycare. You thought you walked away, but suddenly it felt like you couldn’t escape.”
I clench my jaw and nod once again.
“I get it. I do.” She nods. “You asked me what I wanted in exchange for babysitting tonight? I want you to know that the night we spent together…It’s in the past. We can forget it ever happened. I understand why you want to push me away. I want to honor your wishes and I don’t want to make this hard on anyone. Especially Ava. What I want is for us to be friends. Just be civil with one another. We can stop and chat when you bring her into daycare. You don’t have to give me dirty looks or try to avoid me. When we see one another outside, we can smile and wave. This doesn’t have to be awkward. Our lives look like they’ll be intertwined for a while. The least we can do is act like sensible adults. For Ava.”
I take a deep breath. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
Her smile only gets bigger now. “Alright. I guess I’ll take off.” She turns to walk toward the front door and I follow her.
“Thanks again for doing this, Emery.” I grab the knob on the door but I don’t turn it. As I look at her, I realize I don’t want her to leave.
“Seriously, it was no problem. She’s such a sweet girl.” Her brown eyes move up to mine, looking up at me from beneath her lashes. Standing in front of the door, we’re close enough to touch. Being this close to her again only makes me think of the night we met. I remember looking into these eyes and feeling my heart leap into my throat—almost like it’s doing now. I take a deep breath to try and clear my head, but then I inhale her scent. I feel it rushing through my nostrils and straight to my brain. Her scent fills my head, making me feel light headed and almost tipsy. Oh yes, the effect she has on me when I’m weak enough to allow it. The night we met I had been drinking. Tonight, I’m just too tired to fight.
