The Carters" kitchen reminded me of something from a sitcom. It was warm and lived-in, but no expense had been spared. Harlow placed Lila Kate in her swing, which sat looking out the bay window into the backyard. "You swing and watch the birds, and I"ll get your bottle ready," she told her daughter, as if the baby understood what she was saying. Then she turned to me. "I can make you coffee if you prefer it. I can"t drink coffee unless it"s decaf, and then I can only have a little. But I do have it here. Grant drinks it."
Milk sounded just fine to me. "I like milk," I replied. "Can I help you?"
"Just sit down and take a breather. You"ve been working for hours nonstop. You should take lunch breaks."
I wasn"t supposed to take breaks longer than fifteen minutes every two hours with the agency. And I had found out that most of the people I cleaned for didn"t like to see me take a break. If they were home, then they wanted me to work until I was done. So I did.
The Carters" house was different in many ways. That was one of them. It was also my favorite because I got to watch a happy, normal family. It wasn"t something I had seen before. The way Harlow adored her daughter made me smile, but there was always a pang in my chest for what I didn"t have. For what my mother chose never to give me. Love.
Grant Carter was breathtaking when he held his daughter. Or even when he saw her from across a room. His entire face was full of love and complete devotion. There was no question in anyone"s mind that he would protect his little girl at all costs. I had caught myself wondering more than once if my real father would have been that way. Did he even know about me?
I shook off the thought again and focused on the Carters. I wouldn"t think about my family or my past. It would only lead me to a depressed state. I worked hard not to spend time dwelling on those things.
This house was a home. It was a happy, safe place. Even though it was one of the smaller houses I cleaned, it was still the one I looked forward to every week.
Harlow placed a gla.s.s of milk and a plate with two big chocolate chip cookies in front of me. "Here you go," she said, and placed the same thing in front of the seat across from me. "I"ll try to sneak a little before Lila Kate remembers it"s time to eat. Her bottle will be ready in a few minutes anyway. It needs to warm up." She sat down.
"These smell delicious," I told her, hoping that was a good excuse for devouring them. I was even hungrier than I"d thought, and the smell was going to make it hard to take little, delicate bites.
"They should be. It"s my grandmother"s recipe. She made the best cookies," Harlow replied. "Grant loves them."
As I"d predicted, I ended up eating the first one in three bites. Harlow was grinning as she watched me. She was also chewing away happily, so that made it less embarra.s.sing. But these cookies were seriously yummy.
"Have you spoken with my brother since he went back to Texas?" Harlow asked, surprising me.
I nodded, wondering if I should give her more information. Did Mase want her knowing that he and I were talking? She might think it was about something else and get the wrong idea. I felt comfortable with Harlow, but telling her that I had dyslexia was another thing. How would I explain how I had made it this far not being able to read and write without getting into the other details of my past?
"He seems . . . concerned about you. Mase is the protective sort, but I can"t remember him being quite so concerned about someone who wasn"t family. Until you." A smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
Oh, no. She was getting the wrong idea. If I didn"t explain this to her, she would say something to Mase, and I didn"t want that. He had been so helpful, and I owed him this. Besides, it wasn"t something to be ashamed of. Astor had told me that several times. He"d even had me repeat after him, "I am not less than. I have nothing to be ashamed of. I am a smart, capable person."
Remembering those words, I put the second cookie back on the little china plate. I met Harlow"s curious gaze. "I call Mase after my lessons with Dr. Munroe." I paused for a beat. "I . . . I have dyslexia, and until Mase found Dr. Munroe, I didn"t know why I couldn"t read and write. Words are so difficult for me. Your brother took the first step and found a specialist who pointed me in the right direction. He"s just helping me because he"s a good man."
Harlow"s gaze stayed on me for several seconds, and I had to drop my eyes to the cookie waiting before me. I didn"t want her to read what I couldn"t hide on my face.
Mase.
"It"s a woman," Major said, as he opened my fridge and grabbed a beer. "I know the signs. You can try to s.h.i.t me with whatever hogwash you wanna spew, but I"ve been there, dude."
Major was becoming a pain in my a.s.s. He was my stepfather"s nephew, and I"d been raised with him as my cousin. Although we weren"t related by blood, it didn"t seem to matter. I had needed his help today with the horses, but I was ready for him to leave now. Reese would be calling soon. And Major was the last person I wanted here when she called.
"We"re done for the day. Take the beer and go home. I"m getting a shower, then hitting the sack. I"m beat." I walked past the kitchen and toward my bedroom.
"Right there. That is. Bull. s.h.i.t," he called after me. "Woman bulls.h.i.t. Seen it. Know it."
I hated how close he was to the truth. Reese was on my mind most of the day, every d.a.m.n day. I looked forward to her calls way more than I should. But d.a.m.n, her voice made me smile. Hearing how excited she was over her progress also got to me. "Leave," I fired back, and slammed the bedroom door behind me.
I had started pulling off my boots when my cousin decided to bang on my door. "Who is it? Can"t be Cordelia. You"d have done more than tap that a.s.s years ago if you wanted her. She"s more than available. Wait . . . Rosemary Beach. You met someone there, didn"t you? Rich babe? Got cash? Got a sister? No, wait, I don"t want her sister. I still want a go at your hot single sister."
G.o.d, could he be any more annoying? "Go on, Major. I"m not giving you anything. There is no woman. Leave and let me shower in peace. f.u.c.king pest."
Major"s laughter filtered through the door. "Thou doth protest too much." He slapped the door one more time. "Fine. Be like that. But you"ll admit it soon enough. Or I"ll figure this s.h.i.t out."
I didn"t respond to him. I waited until his footsteps had moved toward the front door. When the door opened and closed, I let out a sigh of relief. Glancing at the clock, I saw that I had forty-five minutes before she was due to call. I could shower and grab something to eat.
If Major knew about Reese, he"d say something to my mother. Then I"d never hear the end of it. I loved my mom, but she would ask questions. I wasn"t ready to answer questions. I wasn"t even sure where this was going with Reese. Denying that I was attracted to her was pointless. I had admitted that to myself.
h.e.l.l, I"d been thinking about the freckle under her a.s.s since the first moment I saw her. But it was more than just l.u.s.t now. I liked Reese. I liked the woman she was inside. At first, I"d been afraid it was pity and that my emotions were wrapped up in feeling sorry for her and wanting to help her.
I didn"t think that anymore. Reese didn"t want pity. She didn"t require it. She was tough. Much tougher than I had given her credit for. I respected her ability to roll with the punches of life and keep fighting. With a body like hers, she could have used those a.s.sets to follow another path in life. One where her looks paid the bills. But she hadn"t done that. Instead, she worked hard cleaning houses, and she was proud of her job.
There was much more to Reese than I had first a.s.sumed. So much more than I could have expected. And she was getting to me, slowly reeling me in, and she didn"t even realize it. But I had to face the fact that she might not want that. It was very likely that Reese wasn"t interested in me for anything more than friendship.
Maybe that was for the best. For starters, we lived several states away from each other. That in itself was an issue. And it wasn"t like she would up and move just to date me, and moving my ranch to Rosemary Beach was impossible. I had a job and a future here.
Stepping into the shower, I decided that I wouldn"t think about that now. There was no point. This needed to be taken slowly. My fantasies about her would remain just that.
Thirty minutes later, my phone rang as I was standing on my front porch finishing a beer, still thinking about her.
"Hey," I said, as I answered on the first ring.
"Hey. I"m earlier than usual. I hope that"s OK." She sounded excited.
I smiled. "Yeah. That"s fine. I wasn"t doing anything but waiting for you to call anyway."
"Oh," was her only response.
"How did tonight go?" I asked. Astor Munroe was also giving me full reports once a week via e-mail. He had agreed not to mention the fact that I was paying him to help Reese. I didn"t think she would be as willing to work with him if she knew. I wanted her mind completely free of any distractions from learning.
"Great. I read him a chapter of the book he had given me last week. It wasn"t a picture book. It was my first chapter book. I wasn"t fast or anything, but I read it without panicking or getting a word wrong. I also took a spelling test. The first one I"ve ever pa.s.sed in my life," she added, sounding giddy. The idea of never being able to pa.s.s a spelling test sliced me a little inside. I hated thinking about the little girl who had struggled and been ignored.
"That"s amazing. I"m so proud of you, but then, I knew you could do it. Never doubted you," I a.s.sured her. "I"m still waiting for you to be brave enough to read to me."
That always made her go silent on me. She was still scared to read to me, but dammit, I wanted her to trust me. I wanted her to feel comfortable with it. Knowing she read for Astor made me jealous of the man. Which was ridiculous but true.
I started to a.s.sure her that she didn"t have to if she wasn"t ready, but she spoke first.
"OK. Um, let me go get the book I read tonight," she said softly.
Maybe it was selfish to let her do this when she was obviously so nervous, but I wanted this bad. "I"m honored," I admitted.
A soft laugh came over the phone. "I keep telling myself you"ve heard me sing, and my reading isn"t as bad as that, so I can do this."
Only this woman could make me grin like a fool over the d.a.m.n phone. "This is true," I agreed, teasingly.
She laughed again. "It"s not a deep read or anything. Tell me when you"ve had enough. My feelings won"t be hurt. This may bore you to death."
I"d let her read the whole book if she would. "I will. Read to me."
For the next thirty minutes, I settled into the rocking chair on my front porch with my legs propped on up the railing and listened to Reese"s sweet voice reading to me over the phone. She only got hung up a few times, and I helped her quickly so she wouldn"t get nervous and stop on me.
It was the best thirty minutes I"d had all week.
Reese.
After my first time reading to Mase, our twice-a-week phone calls became a nightly thing. On the days when I didn"t go to my lessons, Mase called me. He wanted me to read to him before he went to bed. I wondered how much he really wanted to hear me read. I had a feeling he was trying to get me to practice with him. This was his way of making sure that I got comfortable reading in front of people.
Hearing his voice at night before bed was comforting. It was odd how easily I drifted off to sleep once I had talked to him. He always ended the calls with "Good night and sweet dreams." As if my body was at his command, I had exactly that. Each night was good, and my dreams were always of him. So they were very sweet.
Getting control over my growing affection for this man was something I needed to do, and fast. Mase was a friend. One of the best a girl could have. I didn"t want to mess that up for anything. And if I made him uncomfortable, this could all end. That was too depressing to consider.
"Earth to Reese. I"m asking you a question. Where did you go?" Jimmy sat down across from me on the sofa.
His visit was unexpected, but he"d come with ice cream again, and I couldn"t kick him out. But my phone would ring soon, and I wanted Jimmy to be gone when that happened. I didn"t want to tell Mase that I couldn"t talk.
"Sorry. I was thinking about stuff. Ignore me. I"m tired."
Jimmy c.o.c.ked an eyebrow as if he didn"t believe me. "Really? Too tired for rocky road?"
No. I wasn"t too tired for rocky road. I was too excited about hearing Mase"s voice for rocky road. "Of course not." I took the spoon he"d stuck into the container for me and took a big bite.
"Easy, girl. Brain freeze is a b.i.t.c.h," Jimmy warned.
Smiling, I silently agreed and took my time before another bite.
"Next weekend. I"m not waiting anymore. You are going out with the doctor. It"s a double date. You pick the night. Friday or Sat.u.r.day. Because it is happening. I"m done waiting for you."
c.r.a.p. He wasn"t letting this go. He mentioned it at least once a week. I had been avoiding answering.
But maybe this was a good thing. I was so focused on Mase, and that couldn"t be good. If I dated, I might be able to distract myself. That seemed highly unlikely, but at least if Mase was getting the idea that I was interested in him, this would throw him off. He wouldn"t have to worry about my affection for him. And that meant he wouldn"t stop calling me.
"Friday night would be best."
Jimmy beamed and punched a fist into the air. "Yes! Victory! Score!"
Before I could respond, my phone rang, and I glanced down at my lap to see the cowboy boots on my screen. I picked it up before Jimmy saw it. "This is important. It"s about a cla.s.s I"m thinking of taking. Can we finish this tomorrow, maybe?"
He looked curious, but I knew the pleading look I was giving him would be enough to get him to leave. The phone stopped ringing but immediately rang again, and I answered it before it stopped. "Hey, give me just a minute," I told Mase, then stood up to open the door for Jimmy, who was watching me with even more open curiosity now.
"I don"t believe you, but I"ll let it slide," Jimmy whispered, wagging a finger at me.
I closed the door and breathed a sigh of relief. "Sorry. Jimmy was here. He"s gone now," I explained.
"Did I interrupt anything?"
"Only rocky road ice cream and a nosy friend."
He chuckled. "You could have told me you were enjoying some ice cream with him. I"d have called back later."
Oh, no, I couldn"t. Not when my day revolved around these phone calls from him. "That"s OK. We were finished," I lied.
The sound of tires squealing rattled the apartment, and before I could figure out what was going on outside, a gunshot rang out. I froze. I couldn"t move. Surely that wasn"t what I had heard. Maybe the car backfired. This was a safe area; it was why I had chosen this apartment.
A series of shots rang out, and I fell to my knees behind the chair in front of me. Screams echoed in the streets, and for the first time, I regretted being on the first floor. I felt completely open and vulnerable, unable to get to safety.
"Reese, are you OK?" Mase shouted over the phone. I realized he"d been asking over and over, but I was too shocked for his voice to register.
My hand was covering my mouth, and I wondered if I had screamed. My eyes were glued to the window, while the screaming outside continued. Someone needed to call the cops. Me. I needed to. Oh, G.o.d.
"I need to call the police. There are gunshots outside and screaming. I have to call and get help," I told him, not wanting to hang up. I was terrified, and knowing that Mase was on the phone gave me some comfort. Even though he could do nothing.
"f.u.c.k! Get on the ground. Lie flat behind your sofa. Don"t move or answer the door. Call the cops now. Then call me back," Mase ordered, then ended the call.
My hands were shaking as another gunshot sounded. Voices were yelling unintelligible words along with the screaming. I crawled over to the sofa and lay flat behind it, then tried to call 911 as the panic set in. The numbers on my phone began to shift and blur. Tears of frustration filled my eyes.
My body jerked as I sobbed, trying to figure out where the 9 was, but then the police sirens joined the noise outside, and blue lights flashed through my window. I dropped my phone onto the carpet and covered my face with my hands.
Taking deep breaths to calm down, I listened as more sirens joined the scene, followed by an ambulance. But I didn"t move. Not once.
I lay there as the screaming stopped, but there was still yelling, and people were crying. I was afraid to move, even though I knew the police were outside now.
A knock sounded on my door, and I froze. "Police," a loud voice called out.
Police. At my door. Oh, G.o.d. I had to get up. My legs were shaking horribly, and my heart was still racing.
The knock came again. "Police!" he called out again.
I grabbed the doork.n.o.b and looked through the peephole. There was indeed an officer at my door. His determined scowl only terrified me more, if that was possible.
Opening the door, I stared at the man.
He flashed me his badge. "Officer Milton, ma"am. I need to ask you a few questions."
Me? Why me? I nodded and forced myself to take a breath.
"Did you see anything?" he asked, standing there as the lights flashed and the sirens whined behind him. Someone was covered with a plastic sheet. Bile rose up my throat, and I squeezed the doork.n.o.b to keep from falling when my knees went weak.