Roommates Box Set #4-6

8. Alyssa

8

ALYSSA

“Lyss.”

The syllable was soft, almost a whisper, but the sexy masculine voice made my heart race. I turned to him, and his eyes flared with pleasure when he saw the silky lingerie I was wearing. He held out his hands and I went to him, pressing my body against his.

“Alyssa?”

God, he felt good. I wrapped my arms around his neck, rising on my tiptoes to kiss him, but for some reason he pulled away.

“Wake up, Alyssa.”

The dream vanished, leaving confusion in my head … and heat in my core. “What?”

Spencer stood next to the bed. “Were you dreaming?”

“Yes.” My face flushed. “Why?”

“You were squirming around a bit.”

Oh god. Already the dream was fading from my mind, but I remembered enough to know it was hot—and that it possibly involved Spencer. Either him or Raphael. “Did I say anything?”

“No.”

“Good.”

Spencer looked amused. “Are you up for joining us for dinner?”

“But it’s only—” I located my phone and grimaced. “Oh. Guess it is dinner time.”

“Yeah, we eat pretty early so the kids can have time for baths, homework, and reading before bed.” Spencer leaned against the windowsill, his broad shoulders blocking the late afternoon light.

I pushed myself into a sitting position, trying not to wince. “I didn’t mean to sleep so long.”

“Your body needs to heal. Plus, I would imagine the meds might make you drowsy, too.”

“Yeah, probably.” I really needed to read the fine print on the bottles, but that would require staying awake for a decent chunk of time.

“So, would you like to join us out on the deck?” Spencer crossed his arms.

“The deck?”

“Yeah, that’s where we eat dinner most days, unless it’s raining. The fresh air might do you some good.”

That actually did sound nice. It felt like I’d been cooped up inside—first the hospital, and now here—for far too long. “That would be great.”

“Good. The twins are eager for you to join us.” A smile crossed his lips. “I am, too. Do you have a jacket in the things Raphael brought you?”

“Yes, on the dresser there’s a blue sweater.”

Spencer located it and then lifted me to my feet. I put my hand on his shoulder for balance while I slipped the other arm into the soft sweater he held out.

Being this close to him felt like déjà vu, somehow. Had he been in my dream? He was definitely dream-worthy. His stomach was flat, but his chest and arms rippled with muscle. Again, it was hard to believe that he was an elementary school principal.

Maybe that wasn’t fair of me. After all, he was great with the kids; that much was obvious from the way he acted with Charlotte and Lucas. But principals weren’t supposed to be, well, hot. Spencer was proving to be the exception to that rule.

It felt ridiculous to be carried to dinner, especially when we walked past the kitchen. Raphael gave me a little salute from his position by the stove, and I couldn’t help grinning back, even though it felt like my face was on fire. My embarrassment over being carried didn’t stop me from noticing how amazing Raphael’s food smelled.

Cool air surrounded me as soon as we were outside, and it felt great. The air was scented with the smell of green, living things—likely the trees behind the house. They were tall, mature trees that looked nothing like what I was used to in Colorado.

Was this considered the bayou? In truth, I wasn’t even sure what that meant, but the yard was gorgeous. Charlotte and Lucas were playing in the clearing before the woods started. To the right, there was a fence that separated this property from Flynn’s. The big barn was visible, as well as part of the house behind it.

Spencer settled me at a table for six, and I wondered who else would be joining us. Flynn? Nana?

I had my back to the house, so I could take in the gorgeous view and also see the whole of the deck. It was great. There was a firepit, a hammock, lots of mismatched patio chairs and side tables. A closed umbrella leaned against the wall to my left.

It looked like a wonderful place to relax and unwind. I vowed to spend some time out here each day, but my smile faded when I realized that would mean asking someone to carry me out here.

That wasn’t very sustainable, but I didn’t know what to do about it. A wheelchair, maybe? But I doubted I could wheel it through the narrow doors and hallways inside.

“Are you cold?” Spencer asked. He was holding a heat lamp that he plugged into the wall behind me.

“I’m good.”

Spencer sat down at the head of the table. “As long as I’m keeping you company, Raphael won’t make me help with the meal prep.” His smile was so charming that I couldn’t help grinning back. “Oh, I almost forgot—congrats about the news from your company. That’s really generous of them.”

“Generous?”

“Yeah. It was in the paper today.”

“What was?” I was completely confused.

“You don’t know?” Spencer’s eyebrows rose as he pulled out his phone. A few moments later, he handed it to me.

He’d pulled up the website for the Lake Boise Gazette, and sure enough, there was an article about Zee Tech. Apparently, they’d announced that in honor of my good deed, they were giving me six weeks off to recover at full salary.

My jaw dropped. Six weeks was a long time. Still, it wasn’t like I didn’t need it. I skimmed through the rest of the article, and then reached the comments at the bottom. Many people had praised Zee Tech for their actions.

This was good news, no doubt about it, but still, I couldn’t help shaking my head. “Why didn’t they tell me?”

Spencer tilted his head to the side as he thought about it. “Yeah, it seems like something you’re supposed to learn from your employer, not a newspaper.” He took his phone back and leaned back in his chair, his long legs stretched out.

Six weeks. Wow. I was grateful that I could keep both my paycheck and my health insurance during that time, but it still sort of bothered me that they hadn’t told me. They could’ve at least shot me an email.

“It’s good to see them doing something nice for a member of the town. Some folks weren’t too happy when they set up shop here,” Spencer said.

“Why not?”

He took a moment to think it over. “I think some people are suspicious of a startup like that. Like it’s all jargon and buzzwords, with no real value to the community. But it probably fits better here in Lake Boise than in some of the surrounding towns. Since we’re a university town, I’d like to think that we’re a bit more openminded than most.”

I nodded, but something about Spencer’s account bothered me.

Then a loud clamoring caught my attention as Charlotte and Lucas came running up the stairs from the yard.

“Good timing,” Spencer said, signing as well as speaking. “Go wash up, dinner’s almost ready.”

I watched the kids pull open the sliding glass door and rush into the house. “How old are they?” I asked Spencer.

“Eight. They’re in third grade.”

“When did they learn sign language?”

“When they were really young. We used sign language and spoken language with both of them from the start.”

I couldn’t even begin to imagine how hard that must’ve been. “Can Charlotte hear at all?” I bit my lip as soon as I said that. “If you don’t want to talk about this, I apologize.”

Spencer shrugged. “Why wouldn’t I want to talk about it?”

“It seems kind of personal.”

“But you’re one of us now. Therefore, you need to know these things.” A warmth that had nothing to do with the heat lamp filled me when he said that.

“Charlotte’s got a cochlear implant. It allows her to process sounds, only not quite in the same way that our ears do. She can understand spoken language best when she’s talking one on one with someone. Out here, it’s harder for her to pick up the sounds, since we’re in such an open space.”

“What does she do at school?”

“There’s an aide who goes to class with her. The aide is fluent in sign language, but she’s also increasing the amount of spoken language she uses with Charlotte.”

“Are she and Lucas in the same class?”

“No. Fortunately, there are enough kids for two third-grade classes. The twins are super close, but it’s not good for them to be together twenty-four seven.”

That made sense. “If I ever can manage to stay awake for more than just mealtimes, I want to learn to sign the alphabet. I’m sure I can find something online to teach me that.”

Spencer looked away for a moment, his gaze in the distant trees. Then those warm brown eyes returned to me. “I wish you wouldn’t.”

“Why?” I gave him a small smile. “I’m a good speller.”

He ignored that. Something was obviously on his mind. “Right now, you’re the only one around here who isn’t fluent in sign language. I’m hoping that that will encourage Charlotte to speak to you.”

“But couldn’t that backfire? Like it might make her want to stay away from me?”

That brought out his smile. “Not going to happen. She’s fascinated by you. She’s asked me dozens and dozens of questions about you—so many that I had to start making stuff up. By the way, if she asks, you love horseback riding, your favorite flavor of ice cream is strawberry, and you took ballet lessons when you were a child.”

I laughed. “The only one of those I think I could fake is the ice cream.”

“Just be yourself, but if there’s any way you can draw her into conversation, I’d be grateful. She doesn’t get enough opportunities to do that.”

“I’ll do my best—though I’m not quite sure where to start. It’s not like I can take her shopping or to the park.” Spencer’s face tightened, and I realized I’d said something stupid. The last time the kids were at a park, Lucas nearly got hit by a car.

Luckily, Lucas himself appeared just then and took his place opposite me. Grateful to change the subject, I asked him how school was.

“Not bad. We’re learning how to label maps. Do you know how to remember which one’s east and which one’s west?”

“Nope. I’d be completely lost without GPS.”

“It’s easy,” Lucas said, his wavy brown hair bouncing as he spoke. “When you label them on the map, they should spell “we” not “ew.”

“I never thought of that. Got any more tips?”

“You can’t color the land blue. That’s only for water.”

“But blue’s my favorite color,” I teased.

“Sorry,” the little boy said solemnly. “It’s the rules.”

The door slid open again, and this time, Raphael and Charlotte came out. Raphael had two thick bowls in his hands, and Charlotte had one. The little girl came up to my side and gave me a shy smile when she put the bowl down in front of me. “Thank you, Charlotte,” I said.

“You’re welcome.” Her voice was low, but quite clear. Remembering Spencer’s request, I started to ask her about school, but she’d already turned to help Raphael. Together, they brought out more bowls, a salad, and a loaf of warm, crusty bread.

Once everything was on the table, Raphael sat next to me, and Charlotte sat next to her brother across from us. No one said anything about the empty seat at the far end of the table.

“We have a tradition before we eat,” Spencer said, looking at me.

“A prayer?”

He grinned. “Not quite. At school, there’s a question of the day. I introduce it during the morning announcements, and then the kids chat in small groups as they answer it. We’ve continued the tradition at home during dinner time.” He turned to his daughter. “Charlotte, it’s your turn to go first. Do you want to ask Raphael or Alyssa?”

Though Spencer had been signing while he spoke, Charlotte answered out loud. “Alyssa.” I smiled at her encouragingly. She took a deep breath and then spoke clearly. “If you had to change your name, what would you change it to?”

“Wow, good question.” I noticed that Raphael was signing, presumably interpreting my words in case it was too hard for Charlotte to isolate the sounds out here. “Charlotte is a very pretty name.” She smiled. “But since you’ve already taken that, maybe … Vanessa?”

“I like that,” Charlotte said, flashing me an adorable smile that was missing a tooth. I was around kids so rarely that I’d completely forgotten the twins were the age when that happened.

“What about you?” I asked her.

“I like Vanessa, too.”

“Lucas, can you ask Uncle Raphael the question?” Spencer asked.

“Can I ask one to Alyssa instead?” the little boy asked.

“Sure, maybe one of the ones from earlier in the week,” Spencer said.

Next to me, Raphael chuckled. “I’ve been replaced.”

Lucas ignored him and looked at me. “What’s something you’re a little embarrassed to be good at?”

“Wow, that one’s harder.” As I took a moment to think, the scent from the food in front of me made my stomach growl. It looked to be some kind of thick, luscious red stew over rice. “I guess … hula hooping.”

Spencer looked amused. “You do that? As an adult?”

“It’s fun,” I said. Then I addressed the kids. “I can keep a hoop going around my waist, my neck, my arms, or my legs.” The twins looked suitably impressed, but it suddenly occurred to me how long it would be before I’d be able to do that kind of thing again. “What are you good at that’s slightly embarrassing, Lucas?”

Raphael translated my words into sign language for Charlotte’s benefit while the little boy thought it over. “I can do a cartwheel.”

“Why is that embarrassing?” I asked.

He flushed. “Well, it’s kind of a girl thing.”

“No, it’s not,” Spencer and I said at the same time. Then he continued. “There are some amazing gymnasts who are male.”’

After a little more discussion, Spencer finally decreed that it was time to dig in. Raphael turned to me. “Careful, it’s hot.” I had a feeling that he wasn’t talking about physical heat, but about spices. I put a piece of bread on my plate in case I might need it to calm the fire in my mouth, and then cautiously took a bite.

It was delicious. Rich and spicy and filling. By my fourth bite, I was enjoying it too much to be cautious. Yes, it was spicy, but also delicious. “This is amazing,” I told Raphael.

“He’s the best cook in the family,” Spencer said.

“The shrimp are so tender, but full of flavor. How’d you do that?”

Raphael smirked. “They’re not shrimp.”

“They’re not?” A sinking feeling filled me. What if they were baby snakes or something?

“It’s crawfish etouffee,” Spencer explained. “It’s a favorite around here.”

“And Uncle Rafe makes it the best,” Lucas said. He had a bit of red sauce on his cheek.

Crawfish? Had I had one of those before? Quite frankly, I wasn’t entirely sure what they were. But my stomach was still rumbling, so I decided to pretend it was shrimp and just enjoy the meal.

And it was one hell of an enjoyable meal. The sun set, and Spencer turned on a string of lights hung along the railings. The kids talked about school in a mixture of spoken words and sign language. Charlotte, in particular, had a very long story about a tiff she and her friend had gotten into at recess. She started out talking, but soon switched to sign language. Raphael translated, speaking softly as I watched the girl’s animated face.

As she told the story—the very long story—I heard noise coming from Flynn’s place. Was he in the barn? There was a light coming from it.

I heard a thud and the sounds of someone moving around in there. At one point, I even heard a whinny. Did he own horses?

Since it seemed like mentioning Flynn was a bit of a sore spot, I didn’t ask. Instead, I savored the food, the fresh air, the fantastic view, and the company. I couldn’t help but compare this meal with the ones I’d shared with my parents when I was a child. They were always so formal. Laughing loudly or telling long, elaborate stories would’ve gotten me sent to my room.

It was too bad Mason and I hadn’t been closer as kids. It was so much fun to see Charlotte and Lucas together. They seemed so close they finished each other’s sentences—whether they were speaking or signing.

When everyone was done, the others began clearing the table. It felt weird to be waited on like that, but it wasn’t like I had a choice. While the plates, bowls, and dishes disappeared, I looked back toward Flynn’s place.

At one point, when the others were all inside, the light in the barn went out. Then Flynn himself emerged. He was wearing black jeans, boots, and a t-shirt.

He looked up, his gaze fixed on the deck. I raised my hand and gave him a wave.

He didn’t wave back.

Then Raphael and Lucas came out to retrieve more things, breaking my focus. When I looked back at the place next door, Flynn was nowhere to be seen.