Chapter 27
Twenty-Seven
Chris’s mom was here.
I stood on the last step before reaching the main floor, watching as she and Chris shared a hug. Indecision had me rooted to the spot. If I went to the main landing and introduced myself, would she find it weird? Intrusive? Could I somehow get to the kitchen to prepare Ash’s bottle before his mom even saw me?
As if he could hear me thinking, Chris stepped away from his mom and caught my gaze. He tilted his head, an invitation for me to come closer, but I couldn’t move. Meeting someone’s parent seemed like next-level relationship stuff. Even though we were only friends, I couldn’t ignore the what-ifs that lived rent-free in my mind. What if I had changed my to-go order and sat down with Chris instead of leaving like a coward? What if I had flirted intentionally at the governor’s dinner and let him know I was interested? Or what if we had kissed in the parking lot of the Garden of the Gods?
It was all too much for my mind to process. Considering I was living in his basement, it seemed like crossing an imaginary line to tell him I wanted to see if we could move past friendship. Nothing about our timing felt right...
Eve r .
Did that mean it was just supposed to stay a friendship? And if so, wasn’t it totally normal to know your friends’ parents?
I walked onto the landing and into the living room.
“Mom, this is my friend Erykah.”
His mom spun around so fast I was surprised she didn’t just keep spinning. The look on her face was so comical I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep the laughter in. I wouldn’t say she had stars in her eyes, but I could practically hear her thoughts: A woman!
I held out my hand. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Gamble.”
“And how nice it is to meet you.” She held my hand between both of hers, glancing over her shoulder at Chris. “Are you ... are you living here?”
Yep. She was trying not to have a fit. “Temporarily. Chris is letting me and my nieces stay in his basement while I house hunt.” What kind of relationship did she have with Chris that he hadn’t shared this fact yet?
“Oh, are you new to the area?”
“She lives in Colorado Springs, Mom. Her place was too small for her needs, and she’s searching for a bigger place.”
“Seems like she found one,” Mrs. Gamble murmured.
Chris rolled his eyes. I guess he hadn’t shared about my tragic circumstances. My nose scrunched. I shouldn’t think of my life that way, but that’s exactly how it felt. I kept waking up each morning hoping I would find out it had all been a dream.
“Mom, Erykah is a friend.”
“He’s right, Mrs. Gamble. I don’t date.” Though Chris certainly had me entertaining the idea more and more.
“Ever?” she asked, as if to say, Yeah right.
“Ever,” I replied firmly.
“Au ntie!” Cheyenne yelled at the top of her lungs as she stormed up the stairs. “Auntie, come quick.”
“What?” I rushed over to her, eyes already scanning her for injuries.
“Charlie found a spider. It’s as big as his face.”
“What color is it?” Chris asked.
“Brown.”
Chris took on a pallor that had my nerves ratcheting up. “I’ll go check everything out. Is Ash still down there?” he asked.
“Yes, should I be worried?” I whispered.
“I’m sure it’s okay.” He tromped down the stairs. I leaned over the rail, watching him go, but Cheyenne tugged on my hoodie hem to get my attention.
“Yes?”
“Who’s that?” She pointed right at Chris’s mom.
I guided Cheyenne over to his mother. “Mrs. Gamble, this is my niece Cheyenne. Cheye, this is Chris’s mom.”
“Whoa. How old are you? You have gray hair!” Cheye pointed.
Kill me now. “Cheye!” I snapped. I knew kids said the darndest things, but could they be a little less embarrassing? At what age could I expect her filter to kick in?
“Well, Cheyenne, I’m sixty-five. Is that ancient?”
Cheye’s eyes bugged, and her head bobbed up and down. “But I like your hair. It’s straight and shiny. Mine’s not.” Her bottom lip poked out.
“Oh, this ol’ thing isn’t my real hair.” Chris’s mom patted her bob. “But I love your braids. You look beautiful.”
“How do you have fake hair?”
I wanted to clamp a hand over Cheyenne’s mouth before she could utter another word. Fortunately, Chris came up the stairs with Charlie bounding behind his heels and Ashlynn in his arms.
“Wh at was it?” I whispered.
“Hobo spider. I’ll check and make sure there’s no more in a bit.”
Weren’t those ... venomous ?
“A baby,” Mrs. Gamble gasped, holding her clasped hands underneath her chin. “Isn’t she utterly precious.” She glanced at me. “May I?”
I nodded, but Ash would have none of it. She curled under Chris, shrinking her body away from his mom.
“Oh, okay. Perhaps not. I don’t want you to feel shy with me, sweetie.” Mrs. Gamble looked at Ash, then me. “Your niece as well?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I could see the questions in her gaze, but Chris shook his head at his mom, staving off the interrogation.
“How about I get them a snack, and you catch your mom up on everything?” I asked.
I took Ash from him and then told Cheyenne to follow me. She was always hungry. After cutting up a string cheese and adding some apples to a small plastic saucer, I placed it in front of Cheyenne. “Where’s your water bottle?”
She had a small princess water bottle that she usually kept with her.
“Downstairs with the spider.”
“Chris got rid of it.” But were there more? No way I wanted to go down there and attempt to sleep knowing there could be more spiders of that ilk. Where was a flame thrower when you needed one?
“Did he kill it or take it outside?”
I flinched at Cheye’s choice of words, suddenly thinking of Ellynn and Asher. My breath came in spurts, and my vision darkened.
Breathe. What’s going on with you?
Had they been scared when they realized they’d be hit by a car going the wrong direction? I could only pray that God saw fit to take them quickly. The thought of my baby sister and brother-in-law struggling at the end had been in too many of my nightmares.
“Erykah? You okay?”
I swallowed, then blinked. Chris’s concerned gaze came into focus. “Uh, yes.”
He grabbed a cup, filled it with water, then thrust it at me. “Drink. Sit. I’ve got this.”
I followed his instructions and sat down. His mom joined me at the fourth seat, watching her son. Did she know this table once held only two chairs, but Chris had bought two more to accommodate the girls? He’d added a plain booster seat for Cheye and a portable high chair that fit on top of the seat for Ash. Right now, I was technically sitting in Chris’s spot.
“You know how to make a bottle?” Mrs. Gamble’s voice held surprise.
“Yeah. Unfortunately, we ran out of breast milk last month. But Ash seems to like this formula now.” He handed the bottle to Ashlynn, who immediately put her two chunky hands on each side and held it. “Do you want me to grab a jar of baby food for her too?”
“No.” I shook my head. “She won’t be hungry for that until dinnertime.”
“I can’t believe my ears. You sound fully domesticated, son.”
“It’s the girls.” He cracked a wry grin at his mom. “They change a man.”
“Mm-hmm. The little ones, you mean, and not the big one?”
My face warmed under the heat of Mrs. Gamble’s pointed sta re, but I refused to turn her way. Let her think what she wanted to think. I knew Chris was just a friend. We would probably never move on from that. Could you move out of the friend zone, or was it like quicksand sucking you under?
“And exactly where am I staying since you have house guests?”
Chris pointed toward the hall. “They’re downstairs, so the guest bedroom is still available.”
“I guess it’s a good thing you bought this big ol’ place.”
I leaned forward. “Have you seen the backyard? He’s got a compost bin, rain shelter, and everything.” I’d honestly never seen anything like it.
“Oh, this isn’t my first time visiting, but it has been a while. I’m surprised he uses the internet.”
I laughed. “He kindly bought a few streaming packages so that some people wouldn’t melt down without that convenience.” I rolled my eyes toward Cheye.
“I believe it. I almost had my own meltdown the first time I visited here and realized he expected me to take combat showers.”
“Doesn’t he realize that’s not enough water to wash hair?” I cried. Chris and I had briefly talked about water usage. I agreed to use less on a daily basis but informed him of the struggle that was a Black woman’s hair.
She harrumphed. “He does not. Don’t get me started on his toilet.”
“What’s wrong with that?” Chris leaned back against the island. Amusement made his blue eyes dance, and I could feel the corners of my own mouth lifting in response.
He really was so very pretty to look at. Not that he was pretty in the feminine sense, but...
I bit back a sigh. Hadn’t I told myself to stop swooning over him? This was just some sort of rescuer complex be c ause he said I didn’t owe him, and I had no way to repay him back for his kindness.
People are kind for kindness’s sake, Erykah. You know this.
I did, but I didn’t. It was something I lived by, but not something I necessarily believed other people did too. But Chris went above and beyond. No way I could categorize all he did for me and my nieces as mere kindness. This was heroics.
Ugh, don’t use that word.
Right, because this wasn’t a romance book, and I certainly wasn’t a heroine. Heroines in the books Ellynn read were teachers, nurses, or even single moms. I couldn’t remember ever picking up one with a doctor or surgeon. Come to think of it, an animal conservationist who also happened to be a YouTuber was missing from the mix as well. Proof my feet were firmly planted in reality.
Now to get my head and heart on the same page and remember that Chris was not for us. None of my current circumstances were permanent. I’d find a new place and learn how to parent alone.
I suppressed a shiver. That made me want to curl up and cry, but I’d save that for later. Later when the clock struck midnight, and I was avoiding sleep because of the nightmares or crying myself to sleep because this would be my first time not visiting Kentucky for the holidays. Maybe one day, when the wound wasn’t so fresh, I’d go back and visit the cemetery where Ellynn and Asher lay. But not this year.