Chapter 20 #3
“I’m just going to check on Brooklyn and make sure she got settled in.
Give me one minute.” He veers to the left into her room and shuts the door behind him.
So my job is to stand awkwardly in the hallway, I guess.
I don’t want to just leave without saying anything, but after a couple of minutes, my nerves got the best of me, and I decided to head downstairs.
I figured I could go outside and see what else needed to be cleaned up from the party.
Opening the front door, I looked out across the yard, and everything already seemed to be cleaned up.
On the porch were the supplies Ben had used for grilling, so I scooped them up and brought them to the kitchen.
As I was still wandering awkwardly around his house, I decided I could wash the dirty dishes I had brought in. I started to fill the sink with hot, soapy water, and jumped out of my skin when a hand landed on my shoulder.
“Oh, shit!” I whispered-yelled, putting my hand to my heart. “I didn’t hear you walk in here with the water running, I guess.”
A low laugh rumbled out of Ben. “Didn’t mean to startle you. Sorry that took a while, Brooklyn had emergent thoughts she had to get out before she could go to bed.”
“Is she okay?”
“Oh yeah, it was about some new shoes she must have. Trust me, it was super important that I heard about them immediately.” He gave me a little hip bump and said, “Get out of here; I got this.”
“I’ll wash. You dry and put away, since I don’t know where anything goes.”
He grinned at me. “Deal.”
We mostly worked in silence, cleaning up the remnants of the meal for the neighborhood party. I found myself sneaking glances at him as he worked his way around the kitchen. It felt like an awfully domestic situation to be in with this neighbor I barely knew.
“I meant what I said when I asked you to come over. I could use some adult companionship, and the girls seem to have really taken to you. It gets lonely at night after they go to bed. Don’t get me wrong, I crave the quiet after the chaos of a summer day with them, but it would be nice to have someone to be quiet with. ”
“I kind of brushed off your invitation the other night. I’m a homebody, and every time I come outside, Widow Jenkins snatches me up for one of her side quests. Though I think I would like that, too.”
The statement that just came out of my mouth shocks the hell out of me. The dishes are done, so I turn around and lean against the kitchen counter. “Just let me know when. Other than an occasional visit from my sister and avoiding the neighbors, I’m usually pretty open.”
I pause to take a deep breath for courage and then continue, “I had fun with you tonight. You aren’t exactly what I was expecting.”
“What were you expecting?”
“Hmmm, how do I say this without being offensive? I was expecting you to be an old, boring dad. Too harsh?”
“I mean, I am an old, boring dad. This is what being forty-four with three kids will get you,” he says as he does a twirl.
This has me giggling quietly, so I don’t disrupt anyone’s sleep. “Well, you aren’t boring, and although you are older than me, not by much. You just seem more…mature since you're in a different stage of life than I am.”
“Old, boring, mature, dad. I'm a hot commodity. Hope the news doesn’t get out, or women will be pushing each other over to get in line.”
I reach out to punch him in the shoulder and clarify that I didn’t mean it like that.
When I touch his shoulder, he grabs my hand and pulls it to the center of his chest. He’s looking at me with a half-grin and a twinkle in his eye.
My heart is racing from nerves and something else I can’t pinpoint.
Is it an attraction? It couldn’t be feelings of… lust?
He drapes my hand around his neck and pulls me in for a hug. I can feel his breath as he whispers in my ear, “I had fun with you, too. And if I can be honest, I couldn’t keep my eyes off your legs in that sexy little dress you're wearing.”
I pull back to laugh and ensure he is joking. When I look up into his eyes, I don’t see any laughter in them. His hands slide up my sides and land with one on the side of my face and one on the opposite side of my neck.
“Can I kiss you?” he asks, his voice barely a whisper.
I don’t even know if I want to kiss him, if I am even attracted to him.
Still, I dip my chin in a slight nod. He leans in and lightly touches his lips to mine.
The kiss lasts only a second or two, and he pulls away.
His hands slide down my arms and land back on the sides of my hips.
I feel myself wishing the kiss lasted longer, which has me confused as hell.
He drops his hands off my body and takes another step back. “I could really see myself getting carried away with you, so, I’d better call it a night. Can I walk you to the door?”
He seems bashful and nervous, which is a side I have never seen of him. It was a bold move. I can’t believe he just kissed me. I stay standing there, still trying to recover.
Finally, I put on my big girl pants and asked him, “Are you okay?”
He nods and replies as we are walking toward the front door. “Yes, I’m good. I haven’t had a first kiss for a very long time, so I got a little in my head. But, if it’s not too much to tell you, I hope it’s not our last.”
I shake my head at him and walk out the front door. I can’t believe that happened. Grass Daddy and me, sitting in a tree. What would Widow Jenkins say? She can never know.