Chapter 17 He Works Me Up
HE WORKS ME UP
Clay had stopped down for his muffins two days ago, twenty minutes after Meredith delivered a few to Karl. It hadn’t been her plan to share with her neighbor, but he came knocking on her door as if he was aware of what she was doing.
He said he smelled them through the shared wall, but she didn’t understand that. For years she’d never smelled what he was cooking. Not until the day with the stew almost three weeks ago.
Then two days ago with the muffins.
Nothing in between.
She supposed it didn’t matter. She had more than enough and she’d always been neighborly and shared before.
Actually, she was walking back in her front door after talking to Karl on the porch when Clay’s truck pulled into her driveway.
She’d shown him around her place, and noticed him testing her locks. She finally asked him why and didn’t care for his answer.
The fact he was walking around as if her place was a mission he had to prepare for annoyed her. Here she thought he was coming to see her and it seemed almost an excuse to make sure she was safe.
Not the end of the world
Actually, kind of comforting.
But she wanted it to be more in the line of romance.
Yeah, Clay wouldn’t give her romance.
Protecting her was probably how he thought of wooing someone.
And if she really wanted someone to woo her like a fantasy, Clay Ridgeway was the last person she should think of.
Yet she couldn’t get him out of her mind.
“Meredith!”
She whipped her head to the open doorway of her classroom. “You don’t have to yell, Cassidy.”
“I called your name three times. You’re staring off into space. What is wrong with you?”
She hadn’t talked to anyone about this. Not that she had one hell of a crush on a guy.
Could you have a crush at twenty-eight years old?
“Sorry,” she said. “My mind was on other things.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
She looked at the clock on the wall. The first of the parent-teacher conferences would start in thirty minutes.
Kids had been dismissed half day and she should have been getting her notes ready but was spending more time thinking about those kisses on Sunday morning. Even the last one she’d gotten when she’d sent Clay home with a half a dozen apple cinnamon muffins.
“I’m not sure I’ve got enough time,” she said. “But I really want to.”
Cassidy came in and shut the door. “I can tell this is going to be good. I hope not bad good. Like your dickhead ex isn’t still bothering you.”
She sighed. “He’s not. Some of this involves him; the rest involves someone else in my life.”
“Meredith!” Cassidy yelled again. “You always tell me about men in your life.”
“I’ve kept this quiet because I thought it was one-sided.”
“But it’s not? I have to know.”
“I’m still not convinced it’s not one-sided. I want to start with the bad, but they all have to be mixed in. First, do you know Clay Ridgeway?”
“Not personally,” Cassidy said. “I know it’s Ford’s older brother and he owns Ridgeway Hard Cider.”
“He’s also the person who hired me as the wedding planner. Which you know so I’m repeating myself, sorry. It’s odd. I work for him but kind of also his mother. Or with his mother. I don’t know.” She waved her hand. “Clay is the one I deal with the most.”
“Okay. And you think he’s hot. You told me that.”
“The understatement of the year.”
She pulled her phone out and showed Cassidy the picture she’d gotten of Clay on Saturday. She was taking them of the venue, but you know, he was in her frame when she was doing it.
“Hot damn,” Cassidy said. “That’s better than the other picture you showed me.”
Cassidy yanked her phone out of her hand and pulled it closer, then enlarged the frame over Clay.
“Yes. He’s that intense too. Maybe more.”
“That is exactly the word I was going to use to describe him. Nothing like any man you’ve been with or would be interested in.”
“Yeah, well. I’ve known Clay since we were kids. He’s six years older, but I was best friends with his younger sister, Gale, until ninth grade when we moved to Glens Falls.”
“Now we are getting somewhere,” Cassidy said and handed her phone back. “So this is like one of those schoolgirl best friend older brother crushes?”
“I guess. Only it’s different now. He’s different. Parts of him are the same, but others are magnified. Let’s say, he’s seen me at my worst since I was a kid. Big thick glasses, tripping over my feet, screaming and waving bugs away from me.”
Cassidy was roaring with laughter. “You still do those things.”
She pursed her lips. “And he’s witnessed them too. Caught me twice from falling. The first time was me tripping in heels the day of the interview. He grabbed my arms to keep me from going down on my knees. He didn’t remember who I was then.”
“That stinks.”
“I thought so too, but it’s fine. He was kind of rude. Well, no kind of about it. It’s just his personality. Gruff is probably the best description.”
“It looks to me as if that fits him. Doesn’t seem to turn you off.”
“No. Not in the least. Am I horrible a person that I find it more attractive?”
“No way,” Cassidy said, shaking her head rapidly.
She let out a giggle. “Okay. That makes me feel better. We’ve had this in your face banter. Like, he’s rude, but I give it back.”
Cassidy’s eyes grew wide. “You’re never rude.”
“I know. Right! But he works me up. I still don’t think I’m rude like him. More like straightforward. I put it out there the first time flirting. He gave it back hard enough to scare me.”
Cassidy’s hand was waving in front of her face. “I’m worked up hearing this. It’s so unlike you.”
“Isn’t it? That’s why I’ve sat on it all.”
“Tell me more, tell me more.”
She laughed at the way Cassidy was singing those words.
“I’m going to blend things now. I should add he’s a protector.”
“Obviously with the way he’s saving you.”
She hadn’t even told her friend about being cradled in Clay’s arms on Saturday. She’d keep that embarrassment to herself.
“He noticed the scratches and dent in my SUV weeks ago. He asked about it.”
Cassidy flinched. “And you told him about Fredrick?”
“I did. I was so embarrassed over my actions, but he did his version of a laugh. He said he gave me an A for creativity.”
“That’s good he wasn’t put off.”
“I don’t know if he’d show it if he was. But he agreed Fredrick was continuing it. I told him I didn’t think Fredrick did the damage to my car and why. Not sure if Clay believed that, but I found out he looked into Fredrick too.”
“What do you mean looked into him?”
“He was in the Navy. Did special missions or something. I didn’t ask a lot and I think that is part of why he’s home and so hard about life. But he pulled open his laptop and he was just typing in it to look up Lana on Sunday and said he’d done it to Fredrick.”
“Why Lana?”
“Because I got a nasty letter on Saturday. Not signed but calling me names, saying I’d get what was coming to me.
I ruined their life. It wasn’t signed. I thought it was Fredrick since there was mention in there of a date he and I had.
He swears it wasn’t him and is positive Lana sent it. Guess the two of them split.”
“I need to hear that and why Lana is blaming you,” Cassidy said.
She explained it as quickly as she could. She’d rather talk more about Clay.
“So that’s part of it. I didn’t tell you why I was there on Sunday. I’d showered at his house before the wedding on Saturday. I’d gotten hot and sweaty setting up and he told me to go to his house to clean up. He lives on the property.”
“Okay. Odd, but not really if you’ve known each other.”
“It was odd,” she said. “But not horribly. In my rush I left my dirty clothes there and had to go back to get them.”
“Got it,” Cassidy said. “And you told him about the letter? Were you nervous about it?”
“Not really. It just came up. I’m over that. I want to talk about our kiss.”
“Yes!” Cassidy said, putting her fist in the air. “Now is the juicy stuff.”
“It wasn’t just one kiss, but several. At first he seemed to brush them off. As if it didn’t affect him the same as me. I know it did, but he’s much more controlled than I am.”
“Are you going to be okay with that? You’re used to saying and acting what comes to you. Not in a horrible way.”
“Fredrick would think otherwise with what I did to his stuff.”
“Who cares about him? I’m past it now. I want to know more about Clay.”
“There isn’t much more than what I said.
We shared a few kisses. He let me pick some apples and I told him I’d give him muffins.
He had errands in town on Sunday and stopped to get them.
I thought it was to see me again, but he’s taking this dent in my car and that letter more seriously than me and walked around checking all my locks. ”
“Yikes.”
“I know. I’m not terrified. Should I be? It’s just a letter. And I’m positive my car wasn’t them and just kids. Karl told me he’d asked around and a few people had things stolen out of their cars recently in the complex. There was nothing in my car. I bet it’s kids.”
“If you’re not scared, then I won’t be. It’s probably nothing. Many people find power sending anonymous letters but won’t do anything about it.”
“Fredrick said he’d take care of Lana about the letter. I heard nothing back and didn’t want to. I told him I just want this to be done with him and me. No more contact. A truce and move on.”
“Do you think he’ll do it?”
“I hope so.” There was a knock at the door. “Crap. I bet that is my first parent.”
“We’ve got five minutes,” Cassidy said. “But best to get started as many run late.”
“Anyway, that’s why I’m staring off into space. Thinking about a new man in my life and wondering if anything will come of it other than a few kisses.”
“I’m willing to bet it will. So, to be continued,” Cassidy said.
Cassidy opened the door to leave, and her first parent was standing there.
“Hi. I’m Ms. Banks,” Meredith said. “You must be Charlie’s mother.”
“Yes, please call me Dana.”