Chapter 8
Eight
T he shower on the other side of Esther’s bedroom wall kicked on. She glanced over, then rolled her eyes. “Ignore it, Essy. Don’t think about what he’s doing.” Spreading the pages of her book wider, she focused on the words.
She made it through a paragraph before her mind wandered. An image of Asher in swim trunks flashed through her mind. On her trip to Costa Rica, she’d spent some time at Edie’s friend Max’s house. He had a private beach and had a volleyball net set up, so they’d all gone down to play. Asher had walked down the stairs to the beach wearing a t-shirt and flip-flops. He’d ditched both before the action started. It was the first time she’d seen him without a shirt. She hadn’t known a computer geek could look so good. He was all rippling muscle and hard planes, topped by a megawatt smile, great hair, and a sexy beard. It wasn’t right that any man could look so good. Men like him were supposed to be reserved for Hollywood, where they were unattainable to mere mortals like her.
Esther snorted. He wasn’t attainable for her, either. If he ever did settle down, it would probably be with some exotic, dark-haired beauty he met in Costa Rica. A woman as worthy of a magazine cover as himself. Not a freckled redhead who burned in the shade.
Her phone rang, thankfully pulling her from the hole her thoughts had descended into. She snatched it off the nightstand and saw her sister’s face on the screen. Swiping to answer, she lifted it to her ear.
“You have a lot of nerve sending him here,” she said in lieu of greeting.
Edie chuckled. “I didn’t send him. He went on his own.”
Esther hummed. “Whatever. Your new brand of crazy sent him here. Now he’s staying in my house and wants to follow me around at school.”
“How’s that going to work?”
“He hacked into the education system and gave himself substitute teacher credentials.”
Edie laughed. “Of course he did. It’s a good thing he’s a good guy. I’d hate to think someone with nefarious intentions could do that.”
“Stop enjoying this. He’s actually here for a serious reason.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.” An apologetic tone entered her voice.
Esther sighed. “No, I’m sorry. My life is on a rollercoaster, and I don’t like it. It’s making me grouchy.” So was the thought of a naked Asher in the hall bath.
“Well, he’s there to stop the ride. Give him a chance, Essy.”
Again, Esther hummed.
“I’m serious. He knows what he’s doing. Anyway, I just called to check on you. Make sure you had an uneventful day.” She paused, then chuckled. “Well, uneventful in the sense that Hoodie Man stayed away.”
“As far as I know, he did. I kept all the blinds closed and never left the house.”
“You need some cameras outside. Especially at your front door. You can’t see who’s there.”
“Yeah. I think we’ll probably do that tomorrow. Asher has a plan, but he didn’t share it all. We discussed more of the big picture stuff. I’m just along for the ride at this point.”
“I’m glad you’re taking it seriously.”
The memory of the terror she’d felt seeing that man outside her window resurfaced. “Yeah, well, I’m more than a little weirded out by everything. And I know I protested the idea, but I’m glad he’s here.” Knowing Asher was sleeping down the hall helped calm her. She knew that if something happened in the middle of the night, she didn’t have to handle it on her own.
“Me too. I think I’ll sleep better tonight knowing you have him there with you.” Edie’s voice softened, and then she let out a grunt. “These—feelings—are seriously inconvenient. I hope this goes away once this baby’s born.”
Esther smiled. “You’ll probably always worry a little more now. But it won’t be to the extreme. You could talk to your counselor there. She might be able to help you.” Edie had been seeing a therapist since her return from Arizona to help her deal with all the things that had resurfaced during the events there. It had helped, and they still met at least once a week.
“I probably will, because I can’t live like this for the next eight months. I don’t think Jordan can, either.”
“Your husband is a saint. He’ll handle it in stride. He knew what he was getting into when he married you.”
Edie barked a short laugh. “He did. And it’s why I love him. He accepts me; faults and all.” A loud yawn came over the line. “Oh. Sorry. I think I’m going to let you go. Fatigue is another unwelcome side effect of pregnancy. I can’t get enough sleep.”
“That too shall pass.” Esther smiled.
“I know. But for now, I’m going to bed. I’ll talk to you soon. Try not to give Asher too hard of a time, yeah?”
Esther glanced at the wall again. “I’ll try not to.”
“Good. Love you.”
“Love you too. Bye.”
“Bye.”
Pulling the phone away from her ear, Esther hung up. The shower cut off. She picked up her book, trying to drown out the image in her brain of Asher climbing from the tub and wrapping a towel around his waist.
It didn’t do a lot of good. She reread the same page several times while he finished in the bathroom, then wandered down the hall to his bedroom. It wasn’t until she heard the guest room door shut that she was finally able to push the image of him wet and naked from her mind and concentrate on her book. Eventually, she fell asleep, only to be bombarded by dreams of Asher frolicking in the sand and swimming through the waves.
When her alarm went off the next morning, she smacked the off button, then glared at the clock with gritty eyes. She debated going back to sleep and skipping church, but she’d promised Jenny that she’d teach Sunday School today.
Groaning, she sat up and pushed the covers off, then got out of bed. Her little house didn’t have a master suite, so she gathered clothes and poked her head into the hallway, making sure the coast was clear. Running into Asher before she’d showered and was fully awake was not the way she wanted to start her day.
His door was still closed, so she darted into the bathroom and locked the door. Turning on the shower, she let it warm for a moment, then stepped in. Hot spray blasted her chest. She tipped her head and let the water run over her hair and down her back as she turned away from it. Some of her grogginess washed away with the water.
After soaping her hair and shaving, she washed the rest of her body, then got out. The cooler air outside the shower pricked her skin, and she hurried into her clothes. Deciding not to dry her hair, she whipped it into a quick braid, then did her makeup. When she finished her morning routine, she left her pajamas in the hamper and exited the bathroom.
“Where are you going all gussied up?”
Esther froze on her way to the stairs at the deep voice behind her. She turned and about swallowed her tongue.
Asher stood in his doorway, shirtless. Dark hair dusted his sculpted pecs, then narrowed into a line that split his perfect abs. It disappeared beneath the waistband of a pair of blue and gray plaid pajama pants that hung so low on his hips she could see the vee of his obliques and the hard ridge of his hipbones.
She jerked her gaze up, but it didn’t do her ability to speak much good. He had a serious case of bedhead that only made him sexier.
He arched an eyebrow at her. “Esther?”
“Huh?” His question finally registered. “Oh, um, church.”
He yawned and swiped a hand over his face. “It is Sunday, isn’t it? Give me a few minutes and I’ll go with you.”
“You don’t have to. I’ll be fine.” It was church. If anywhere should be safe, it was there.
“It’s not that. I wouldn’t mind going just because. I usually attend an online service from my church back home. One here in the U.S., I mean. It’ll be nice to go to a service in person.”
“Oh.” She wouldn’t have pictured him as a church-going type. But then she didn’t know him very well, either, and probably shouldn’t be making those kinds of assumptions. “Well, I need to leave in about twenty minutes. I was headed down to drink some coffee and eat breakfast before I left.”
He nodded. “I’ll be down soon. Make me a cup?”
“Sure.”
“Thanks.” A hint of a smile crossed his sleepy face, then he stepped back and closed the door.
“Holy crap,” Esther muttered under her breath. She needed to be more careful in the mornings. The sight of him fresh from sleep put all sorts of naughty ideas into her head.
Rolling her shoulders, she turned around and went downstairs.
Ten minutes later, while she sat at the island, sipping coffee and reading the morning news on her phone, Asher rounded the corner from the stairs.
Once again, her brain stuttered and her ability to form a coherent sentence fled. If possible, he looked even better in his light blue dress shirt, charcoal slacks, and maroon tie. The fabric hugged his muscular body but wasn’t so tight that it looked like he was about to pop a seam. It was just snug enough to hint at the body beneath.
“Morning.” He crossed to the coffeemaker and filled the mug she’d left on the counter for him. “Mmm… that smells good.” He raised the cup and took a sip, then looked at her. “What do you have for breakfast? I haven’t had a chance to go to the grocery, so I’m at your mercy this morning.”
She stared at him, still unable to speak.
He frowned. “Esther, are you okay? You seem a little off.”
“I’m fine.” Geez. Get it together, girl. “Um, I had fruit and yogurt. There are eggs in the fridge. And bread for toast in the pantry. I have some protein bars in there too.”
He nodded once and set his mug down. “That works. Thank you.”
She hummed and looked at her phone. Staring at him wasn’t helping her ability to think.
But she couldn’t help it. Glancing up through her lashes, she watched as he walked into the pantry, then came back out a few moments later with the bread and the cooking spray.
“Which cabinet has plates and bowls?” He gestured to the cupboards.
Esther pointed.
“Thanks.” He opened it and took out a bowl, then went to the fridge and grabbed two eggs and some sliced cheese.
Her pretext of reading forgotten, she watched him cook a quick egg sandwich using the microwave and the toaster. It took all of three minutes.
“I need to remember that egg trick. That looks good.” She nodded to his plate as he sat down next to her.
“It is. You get creative when you’re a broke college student who only has a hot plate and a microwave, and the cafeteria is closed because you spent too much time in the computer lab.”
Esther chuckled. “Or in my case, the library. I kept a stash of protein shakes and yogurt in my dorm fridge for nights like that.” She blushed. “And those frozen burritos.”
Asher laughed. “Me too.” He tucked his tie into his shirt, then lifted his sandwich and took a bite.
“Why did you bring a tie?”
He glanced down, chewing. Holding up a finger, he swallowed. “I wanted to be prepared for anything. I have a suit jacket upstairs too, but I didn’t figure church warranted a full suit.”
“It probably doesn’t even warrant the tie. We’re not terribly formal.”
He lifted a shoulder. “I always wore one growing up, so I still do when I go.”
“Where’s home for you?”
“Michigan. I grew up near Kalamazoo.”
“Do you still have family there?”
“My dad. We’re not terribly close, but I go home at least once a year for a visit, and we email.”
Esther wrinkled her nose. “I couldn’t imagine only seeing my dad once a year. My mom, either. It’s hard enough with Edie being so far away.”
“You grew up differently. My mom died when I was just a kid, and my dad worked two jobs to keep us afloat. I spent a lot of time with my grandparents and was close to them, but they’re both gone now.”
“I’m sorry. That must have been tough. What happened to your mom?”
“Aneurysm. I was three.” He took another bite of his sandwich.
“Oh, wow. I can’t imagine.”
“I don’t remember much about her. She smelled good, that I remember. And she had a pretty singing voice. But my grandparents—my dad’s parents—were great. They stepped in right away, so I never felt neglected. Like any kid who’s lost a parent, sometimes I wished I had a mom to go to school functions with, but my grandma would go, so I didn’t completely miss out. And I turned out okay.” He sent her a crooked smile.
“You did, yes. What about your maternal grandparents? Were they in the picture?”
He shook his head. “Mom moved to Michigan from out of state for college. The University of Michigan. She and Dad met there. Her family lives in Wisconsin. My grandparents on that side are still alive, but I’ve never had much to do with them. My grandmother hasn’t been well for years and couldn’t travel, so I didn’t see them much. I have an uncle there, too, and a couple of cousins. What about you? Do you have extended family around?”
She nodded as he finished the rest of his sandwich. “I have a couple of aunts, and they live in the area with their families. We have a few cousins. All four of my grandparents are still alive too.” Her eyes widened as she remembered who would be at church. “Oh, no.” She covered her face.
“What?”
“My family will be at church. My parents and my mom’s parents. Oh, this is bad. They’ll have all kinds of questions about you.” She removed her hands and looked at him. “I can’t tell them about my troubles. My dad will go ballistic. You think Edie’s bad? Nope. Dad will literally pitch a tent in my front yard.”
“Just tell them I’m your boyfriend.”
“We can’t do that!” He was out of his ever-loving mind. “That’ll lead to even worse questions. We can tell them you’re here for work.”
A single dark eyebrow rose. “Doing what, exactly? My business is online. I can literally work from anywhere with an internet connection. Why would I come here?”
Her hopeful expression crumbled. He had a point. “Okay. But my boyfriend? Really?”
“I don’t know what else to tell you, Essy. We need to explain my presence somehow. And that makes the most sense. Even if I stay here today and you go to church alone, this town isn’t that large. Someone’s going to notice my car outside your house every night. It’ll get back to them one way or another. Wouldn’t you rather address the problem head on than let it blindside you?”
She huffed. “Actually, I’d rather not address it at all.” She lifted her coffee cup and took a big gulp. It hadn’t occurred to her what other issues Asher’s presence in her life would cause. If they told everyone they were dating, it would explain why he was hanging around, but then she’d have to field all the questions about what went wrong when he left. “This would be easier if Mom and Dad hadn’t met you.”
“True. But honestly, you’re making this into a bigger issue than it is.” He tipped his head back, draining his coffee.
Was he for real? “You do know this is my life you’re complicating, right? I have to live it when you leave.”
“I know. But what I mean is, we can tell people I came up to see if we can make something of how we feel, but I can’t stay because of work obligations. We can fake a long-distance thing with everyone for a while, then tell them a few months from now that we decided to end it.”
Esther frowned at her coffee mug. While that didn’t sound that complicated, she still detested the idea of dealing with it all. But she didn’t see another way. He was here, and as much as she hated to admit it, she felt better with him around.
“All right, fine.” She pushed away from the island, standing, and shook a finger at him. “But you keep your hands to yourself.”
One side of his mouth kicked up, and he touched two fingers to his temple. “Scout’s honor.”
Esther let out a soft snort and headed for the sink and away from the teasing glint in his eyes. “Why do I get the feeling you were never a Boy Scout?”
He chuckled. “I’ll behave.”
She certainly hoped so. It was a tenuous thread holding back the urge to wrap her arms around him so she could feel what that perfectly sculpted body of his felt like pressed up against hers.