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Yes, Vera would still be awake, but that was okay. Maybe she could get used to seeing him, then it wouldn’t be so bam-in-the-face kind of flip if or when David and I took things to the next level.
“See you then.” The line went dead but not before my heart did a little pitter-patter.
Chapter Sixteen
David arrived right at six-thirty, not a second later, and brought with him a dozen cookies. “For you.”
“Cookies.” Vera signed with excitement.
I shook my head. “No way. You’re tired, and you’ll get a sugar rush which won’t help you sleep.”
She stomped her feet and crossed her arms over her chest, an angry pout curled her bottom lip. If it hadn’t been the tenth time today she’d done that exact same look, it may have been cute.
“Maybe tomorrow, after breakfast, before you get on the bus.”
The first bus ride to the school. I’d taken her on the first two days last week, but with any luck, moving forward she’d be on the bus which would give me a little more working time.
“No. Now.” She took her first two fingers and tapped them hard against her thumb, following it by extending her pinkie and thumb out to the side, tightly closed palm facing her, and yanked her arms down to her hips. Her signing was angry, her wrists were rigid and unyielding. My child was over tired. Big time.
“Absolutely not. And if you keep it up, you won’t get one after breakfast either.” I put my metaphorical foot down, signing as I spoke, while embarrassment washed over me as Vera made a scene in front of David. Last thing I wanted was to look like a pushover, or on the opposite side of the spectrum as a hard-assed parent.
The stare-down started from her to me, but I cocked my brow and crossed my arms over my chest, leaning in her direction just a bit. When she blinked and backed up, it was over.
“Now, I’m going to show David his artwork, but I’ll be back in a few minutes. You can go and play with your Barbies. Stay here.” I made a similar gesture, like hernowsign, except when my pinkie and thumb were extended, my palms faced the floor and I made a tighter movement. “Stay.”
Her gaze volleyed between me and David, and whatever battle she was fighting in her head failed to surface, she spun on her feet and stormed off to her bedroom.
I stole a cookie when she was out of earshot. Damn, it was so soft and chewy – and the perfect escape for a heartbeat – I could’ve wiped out the whole box right there. I offered one to David.
“Let’s go out to the shop.”
He followed me out, and once we were inside and the door was closed, he spun me around and kissed me, pushing me up against the wall of my shop. I quickly threaded my fingers through his thick hair, and plunged my tongue into his, tasting remnants of the chocolate and sweet cookie crust. Surprisingly, it was so hot, and had Vera not been within close distance, I would’ve seen how far we could’ve gone. A fantasy come to life.
Instead, as he was planting kisses on my collarbone and stoking the embers that had failed to cool, I pushed him away.
“After, when she’ll be in bed. Plus, my sister’s out on a date so we can have a little fun.”
The heat between my legs was pulsing. I needed relief, and maybe some help for feeling this way with a guy. Wasn’t it unusual to have such strong feelings so early into a relationship? David was so sweet, and so likeable, even if years ago he was a complete jerk to meone time.Knowing him now, and hanging out with him, generated these unique emotions of wanting to explore things more. Was that how a grown-up relationship worked?
I’d need to ask Fran or Libby, but I didn’t want to let on how generally inexperienced I was in this arena. Relationships weren’t my strength. They weren’t even in my top thirty list of things I was good at. Besides, my last serious boyfriend had been Vera’s father, and that was a relatively short relationship.
“So, show me the pieces.”
Catching my breath, I swallowed and led him over to the side of the shop where the booth pieces were stacked. Against the wall, I flipped through the stacks and produced the first five layers.
“All are cut but need to be stained. I’ll be doing that on Friday, so they have the weekend to set. Then next week I’ll be able to assemble them and give them the finishing touches.” I laid them out as I had planned and lifted them to show David. “They’ll look like this.”
He ran a hand through his hair and blew out. “That’s amazing. They’re going to look so good in the place. You’ve done a great job.”
“Thank you.” A faint heat I hoped wasn’t noticeable, seared beneath the apples of my cheeks.
“And the mural?”
I set the pieces back in the right spots, as each layer was being stained a different colour, and walked over to the other corner. “This is proving to be a little more challenging.”
“Oh? How come?”
“To be honest, the size of it.” I grabbed one length of board, and set it across my workspace. “But, and hear me out, I think I figured out how to make it work. I’ll need to carve and detail in smaller sections, but I can dovetail it all together and it should be pretty seamless.”
