Chapter 16
Rebecca
“This is Thatch’s house?” Cat asked as she got out of the car. “It’s so big.”
“Yeah, it is.”
I looked down at my phone and doubled-checked the address, and sure enough, the enormous house in front of us was the right place.
I followed Cat up to the front door, feeling a little apprehensive as I reached up and knocked.
I wasn’t expecting him to have such a lavish home, and I couldn’t help but wonder what else I didn’t know about him.
He opened the door, and a warm smile crossed his face. “Hey there, ladies.”
“Hey.” I looked down at Cat as I said, “Someone is really excited about seeing your place.”
“Great.” He stepped back and motioned us inside. “Come on in and check it out.”
Cat didn’t have to be asked twice. She bolted inside and started looking through the various rooms. I, on the other hand, took my time and soaked in every detail as I stepped through the front door and into the foyer.
The outside was beautiful, especially for a lake home, but the inside was simply unbelievable.
There were cedar beams throughout and natural tones to all the décor, making it feel cozy and inviting. The furniture and artwork were all very nice, but it was the view that made the place truly spectacular. “Thatch, your house is beautiful.”
“Glad you think so.” He gave me a wink, then said, “I need to check on the potatoes.”
“Okay.”
I followed him into the kitchen and wasn’t surprised to find it just as fabulous as the rest of the house.
With a mixture of subway tiles and natural timbers, it had clean lines and plenty of open space for cooking and fun, and the ceiling to floor windows gave the perfect view of the lake.
I was in complete awe as I watched Thatch open the stove to check the potatoes.
I couldn’t believe it.
He was sexy, smart, had a good head on his shoulders, and not only owned a gorgeous home, but he cooked, too.
It was official.
Thatch was the perfect man.
As soon as he finished checking the potatoes, he walked over to me and pressed his lips against mine in a heart-melting kiss, then asked, “Would you like a glass of wine?”
“Sure.” I stepped over to the stove and peeked at all the veggies. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Nope, I got it.” He handed me the glass of wine and said, “Just make yourself comfortable.”
I was about to sit down when I realized I had no idea to where Cat had run off. Worried that she might’ve gotten into something, I told him, “I better go see about Cat first.”
The words had barely left my mouth when she came barreling through the doorway with a gift bag in her hand. “What’s this?”
“That’s your birthday present.” He motioned his hand to the end of the counter and announced, “Got you a cake, too.”
“Really?”
“Mm-hmm.” Thatch walked over and knelt down in front of her. “I was going to give it to you after dinner, but if it’s okay with your mom, you can open it now.”
“Can I, Mom? Can I, pleeeze?”
“Yes, sweetie. You can open it.”
She immediately dove into the bag and pulled out two boxes—one with a Ken doll and the other with a Barbie that looked just like me. She held them both up with the biggest smile and exclaimed, “It’s you and a new Thatch!”
“Well, how about that. They’re great!”
My heart nearly exploded in my chest as I watched Cat reach up and give Thatch a big hug. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, kiddo.”
She released her hold on him, then looked over to me. “Can I go play?”
“Just until dinner’s ready.” I pointed to the adjoining sunroom. “You can set up in there until I call you.”
“Okay.”
With that, she darted out of the room with her dolls, leaving Thatch and me alone tending to dinner. “You know, you really didn’t have to do that.”
“Yeah, I did. I couldn’t let her be stuck with a Sharpie-bearded Ken.”
“You could have, but she’s certainly glad you didn’t.”
“I’m happy she likes it.” He walked over and picked up his beer from the counter. “What about her actual birthday? Did you do anything special?”
“Yes, but that came after the whole situation with Cat’s school and her father.”
“Over the gift he sent?”
“She told you about that, huh?”
“Yeah, she might’ve mentioned it when she called.”
“I gotta say, I was really worried about how the night would turn out, but talking to you definitely improved her mood. By the time we met my parents at the restaurant, she was back to her old self.”
“That’s great to hear.” He took a slug of his beer. “Talking to her helped me through a tough spot, too.”
“Oh? Did something happen?”
“We lost a brother the other night.” Anguish filled his eyes. “We were finishing up his memorial service when she called.”
“Thatch, I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”
“No way you could’ve known. It was one of the reasons I was so busy the past few days.”
“I wish I had. I would’ve done something ... At the very least been there for you.”
“You’re here now.” He leaned in and kissed me on the forehead. “That’s all that matters.”
As much as I didn’t like that he hadn’t told me about his brother, I decided not to push it. I hoped in time he’d see that he could trust me enough to tell me these things on his own. I took a sip of my wine, then asked, “So, what’s for dinner?”
“Well, I have steaks and potatoes for you and me, and I made some dino-nuggets for Cat.”
“Dino-nuggets?” I asked with surprise. “Really? Those are her favorites.”
“I’m not surprised. They’re the best ever. I’ve made many a meal with just them and a bowl of ramen noodles.” He chuckled, then said, “Speaking of which, I better go check the steaks.”
He opened the sliding glass door and stepped out to the grill and had just started to flip the steaks when there was a knock at the door. “Hey, Thatch! There’s someone at the door.”
“I’m not expecting anyone.” The flames started to flare up, so he said, “Can you check to see who it is?”
“Sure.”
As I got up and started towards the living room, I spotted Cat playing happily with her dolls in the sunroom, and I couldn’t imagine our first night at Thatch’s going any better.
When I opened the door, my heart dropped to my stomach.
A beautiful black-haired, blue-eyed woman was standing on Thatch’s doorstep, and it was clear from her expression that she was just as surprised as I was. Her eyes widened as she stammered, “Oh, hello ... I, um, I was looking for Thatch.”
“He’s here. He’s just out back by the grill.” I motioned for her to come inside. “I’ll get him for you.”
“That’s okay.” She studied me for a moment, then continued, “I’ll come back some other time.”
Her odd behavior was more than a little questionable. I felt like something was going on that I was missing, but I had no clue what that was. I tried not to let it get to me as I smiled and asked, “Are you sure? It’ll only take a second.”
“No, that’s fine. I’ll just catch up with him later.”
“Okay, do you want me to give him a message or something?”
“Just tell him Mia stopped by.”
The second she said her name, I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me.
Thatch hadn’t told me much about her—just that she was his old high school sweetheart and that things hadn’t worked out with them, but I knew there was more to the story.
I heard it in his voice when he spoke about Mia. “You’re her.”
“Hmmm ... I was just thinking the same about you.”
“I’m Rebecca. It’s nice to—”
Before I could finish the word, Thatch came up behind me. “Hey, babe, who’s at the—”
As soon as he saw Mia, his smile vanished, and his back stiffened. She gave him an awkward smile and mumbled, “Hey, Thatch. I’m sorry for dropping by like this. I didn’t realize you had company.”
He didn’t respond, which made a tense moment even more awkward. Not knowing what to say or do, Mia nervously bit her bottom lip. Hoping to defuse the situation, I said, “You should come on in. We were just about to have dinner.”
“No, no. That’s sweet of you to offer, but I don’t want to intrude.”
“It’s no intrusion.” I turned to Thatch. “Isn’t that right?”
His brows furrowed as he stood there studying me for a moment. When he realized I was being serious, he chuckled under his breath, then shook his head and replied, “Yeah, whatever you say, boss.”
“See? It’s all good.” As she walked through the door, I asked, “Would you like a glass of wine?”
I wasn’t sure what I was thinking by inviting Mia to join us.
Maybe it was curiosity or the need to prove to myself that she wasn’t someone to be concerned about. Either way, I knew it was something I needed to do.
When we got to the kitchen, Thatch had already brought in the steaks. The vegetables were done, and he’d already started making the plates. Mia looked around at all the food, and when she spotted Cat’s birthday cake, she asked, “Are you celebrating something?”
“It’s Cat’s birthday.”
“Cat?”
“Rebecca’s daughter.” Without giving her a chance to respond, he motioned his hand towards all the food. “Dinner’s ready. We just need to set an extra place.”
“Are you sure?” Mia asked. “I really don’t have to stay for dinner.”
“It’s fine. There’s plenty.” Thatch motioned to the cabinet. “Mind grabbing an extra plate?”
“Sure.”
I handed it to Thatch, and once he’d filled it with food, I carried it over to the table. I was about to pour Mia a glass of wine when Cat came into the kitchen. Her nose wrinkled with confusion as she asked, “Who are you?”
“I’m Mia ... a friend of Thatch’s.”
“Oh.” Cat looked over to Thatch, then back to Mia. “I thought he just had brothers. I didn’t know he had girl friends.”
“Well, I’m an old friend of his. We’ve been friends since we were kids.”
“Oh.” Cat studied her for a moment, then turned to me. “I need another Barbie.”
“No, you don’t,” Thatch replied before I got the chance.
“But ...” Cat whined.
“You’re gonna have to trust me on this one.”
“Okay.” Cat sat down at the table. Her eyes lit up the second she studied her plate and saw that Thatch had filled it with her favorite chicken nuggets. “Dino-nuggets!”
“Yep.” He gave her a wink, then lowered his plate so she could see them stacked on top of his steak. “I love Dino-nuggets.”