Chapter 40
CHAPTER FORTY
JACE
“You know what feels better than anything physical?” Esben looks at me for a long time. “How it feels to be falling for someone the way that I’m falling for you.”
Jessica Park, 180 Seconds
T here really is no other smell like that of a prop room. The air was thick with dust, old sweat, and rubber as I searched the high school prop room after Young Wills practice that night. It’d been a long day, made longer still by the half hour of digging amongst the prop bins for the hyena masks the drama teacher thought were hidden somewhere in here.
“Jace? You still in there?” I heard Sienna’s voice as the door opened. “Dios mío, it smells like a dirty gym sock in here.”
“You kind of get used to it after a while.” I grunted as I picked up the last and largest of the bins from the back of the room, stopping right in front of Sienna to put it down. “This is the last bin. If the masks aren’t in here, we’re out of luck.”
We were quiet as we dug through the bin. I was nervous—I’d been stalling all rehearsal. Finally, resolved that I just needed to grow a damn pair, I went for it.
“Hey, Sienna. You told me about a professor friend you have at that liberal arts college a while back. I’ve been thinking about applying to the performing arts education program they offer. Thought maybe I could teach drama in a middle school, kind of like what I’m doing now, but like, get paid for it.”
Sienna’s mouth and eyes went wide. She lunged forward, over the plastic bin and all, hugging me around the neck.
“I’d be happy to!” Sienna pulled back, a happy grin still in place. “Rae and I were just talking about you the other day. We both think you’d be a wonderful teacher. What brought this on?”
“Something my pop said today,” I answered. “And working with Polly’s kids and y’all here at Young Wills. I think I realized that helpin’ kids achieve their dreams, might just be mine.”
Sienna put her hand over her heart and fanned her face with the other. “Sir, you need to warn a woman before you say all that, it hit me right in the feels. Please say you’ll stay in Green Valley. Our boys would be so lucky to have you as their teacher.”
“Thank you. I truly appreciate that. But let’s see how things settle out first.”
We spent the next few minutes searching until we reached the bottom of the bin with no luck. “Well,” Sienna said, repacking the bin with me, “we could always try the middle school.”
Rae came in then, carrying Sienna’s youngest son, Pedro, in her arms. “This one’s been looking for you, I think.” Pedro squirmed out of her arms and ran toward Sienna, wrapping around his momma like an octopus.
“Whew, what’s that smell?” Rae wrinkled her nose.
“Thirty years of adolescent body odor and rubber,” I joked, making Sienna cackle.
“No, that’s not it.” Rae sniffed the air again. “Do you smell it, Sienna?”
Sienna nodded and Pedro looked at her with serious eyes. “I don’t smell, Momma.” She nuzzled his nose with hers. “Of course you don’t, my angel.”
I sniffed the air as Rae continued to walk slowly around the room. What the heck was she talking about? I’d say Sienna’s earlier assertion was right: alI I could smell was a sweaty gym sock.
Then, Rae came right up to me, put her nose up to my neck, and inhaled deeply.
“Hey!” I hollered. Rae took a step back, putting her hands on her hips. “It’s just as I thought,” she said dramatically, her head shaking slowly from side to side.
I gestured around me defensively. “You try searching a prop room for a half hour and see how you smell.”
Rae laughed as Sienna added, “I thought the same thing. He smells just like Ben did when he wanted to impress that girl and got into Jethro’s cologne.”
Rae snapped and pointed at her. “Axe body spray.”
I reared my head back. “I do not wear Axe body spray!”
I may have been using some extra cologne these past few days, but I hadn’t heard any complaints.
Sienna laughed as she set a squirrely Pedro on his feet.
Rae squatted next to me, helping me put the rest of the props in the bin. “Polly’s really nice, Jace. I’m happy for you. And you smelled fine before, no need to overcompensate.” Rae’s eyes lifted and she pointed to my red hair, which they both teased me mercilessly about at the beginning of practice. “But that situation might take some professional help. I know a good colorist in Knoxville. I got you covered.”
After putting the large prop bin back, ignoring the two know-it-all-bamboozlers, I gave a small wave without looking behind me. “I’m outta here for the night. Y’all are the two meddlesome older sisters I never wanted!”
“See you next week!” Sienna shouted.
“And use protection!” Rae added.
Their ringing laughter was so loud it carried down the hall until I reached the exit.
* * *
It was after ten by the time I got back to Polly’s. I’d texted her earlier, letting her know I’d be late. To which she texted back, I’ll be waiting, with a winking smiley face . I’d never known intimacy like this with a woman. Sex with her was scorching hot, but also fun at the same time, the teasing and laughter between us making her all the more addictive. She knew what she liked and wasn’t afraid to take it—adventurous in a way I loved. I loved talking to her just as much.
There were a lot of things I loved about her.
A text came in from my sister as I got out of my car, reminding me that I’d been dragging my feet on calling her back. Since I’d asked her about the plants last week, she’d been texting me more often. I had no doubt Momma had already called Sarah today, telling her all about my and the kids’ visit. Sarah knew me well, there was no lying to her. Just like Rae and Sienna possessed sorcery of some kind to figure out that something was happening between Polly and me, my sister had the same intuition. If I wanted to respect Polly’s wishes and keep it between her and I for now, avoiding my sister seemed the best tactic.
All was quiet in the house when I came in through the garage. Was Polly upstairs in her room? Maybe she’d started without me, her hand pressing her sweet, wet center, her lips parted and panting. Would she be wearing those petal bra and panties again? My dick throbbed, straining in my jeans just thinking about it. I couldn’t wait to peel them off her again.
I heard a noise and turned, noticing light from beneath the basement door. Opening it, I heard the din of a TV, so I walked down the stairs only to find Polly wrapped up in a blanket and sitting in one of the overstuffed lounge chairs. She was watching Treasure Dogs, her hair was piled high on her head, and she had a tissue in her hand. I heard a sniffle.
“Everything ok?”
Polly looked at me with big, tear-filled eyes, then scrambled to get the remote and pause the episode.
“Shoot!” She checked her watch. Biting her lip, her eyes darted between me and the screen. “I’m so sorry—I’ve just watched three of them. I’m almost to the end of the finale. I know I said I’d wait for you to watch the finale together—” She couldn’t finish because her face crumpled and she began to cry.
Ditching my bag, I strode over to her, dropping to my knees in front of her. I wrapped her in my arms, rubbing her back. Having her in my arms again after a long day felt like a relief.
“Was it the season finale that has you this upset?” I was pretty certain that Rosie, the dog she liked, won it all, but maybe I’d been mistaken. Polly pulled back and nodded, abandoning her tissue to wipe her weepy eyes on the sleeve of her sweatshirt.
“It was just so . . .”
“Sad?”
“No!” Polly looked almost miffed. I bit back a laugh. “Rosie won and you should have seen her. She was running around, barking and leaping, and I’m just so happy!” Her voice was high and creaky, breaking on the word happy as she began to tear up in earnest again.
Trying not to laugh, I brought all her sweet softness into my arms and picked her up from the chair, eventually cuddling her onto my lap as I sat on the carpeted floor in front of the lounge chair. I gently stroked her hair until her cries quieted. Polly sighed and tucked her head under my chin. Her topknot tickled my face, but there was no way I’d ever move. Not until she decided she was ready to get up again.
“I’m sorry. This probably isn’t what you had in mind when I said I’d wait for you, huh?” Polly pulled back, gazing into my face.
I stared into her teary eyes, her make-up less face. I’d never seen anything prettier. I leaned in, not being able to resist kissing her. “It’s exactly what I wanted.”
She gave me a playful one-eyed squint and snuggled back down into my chest. “How was the rest of practice?”
“It was good.” I hesitated, wondering how Polly would react, but wanting to share what I’d decided. “I asked Sienna for the contact info for the professor who heads up a performing arts education program at a liberal arts college near Knoxville.”
Polly sat up and turned, smiling brightly. “You’d be perfect for that, Jace. Watching you at Young Wills—it’s like watching magic happen. Those kids follow you with their eyes. They look up to you. It’s a gift you have, encouraging each and every one of them to perform without fear. It’s just, wow .” Polly gave a short laugh, then rolled her eyes. “For lack of a better term.”
“Thank you, darlin’. But I’d have to apply first. At lot of their courses are online, and I was thinking if I apply now, maybe I could start in spring, or who knows, maybe even this fall.”
Her eyes dimmed for a moment, then a polite expression came over her face. I could feel tension in her body as she spoke. “Well, you’ll have to let us know how that’s all going when you find out. Good luck.”
The formality in her tone startled me—reminding me so much of the Polly I’d met that first day, who now seemed like a stranger to me.
“How’s your dad?” Polly asked abruptly, changing the subject.
I sat back and patted my chest. Polly hesitated, but then relaxed against me again even if I could still feel the rigidity in her spine. “Better. Got his meds, seemed to be in less pain by the time we left. He got on with Max real well. Taught him how to keep score of a baseball game. I figure Max will be ready to live in the 1960’s if time machines are ever invented.”
I felt the puff of air from Polly’s laugh on my neck and her muscles begin to relax.
“How’d your momma react to meeting the kids?”
“Once she could say Ryla’s name, they got on great. I’ve already gotten two texts from Momma asking to bring them back this week.”
I felt Polly nod. “That’s ok with me, if it’s ok with you.”
I trailed my hand slowly down her arm. “They want to meet you too.”
I felt the tension in her back return. “Oh, umm, me? I’ll be pretty busy with the school stuff, so maybe in a few weeks.”
“Ryla talked you up a storm, I’m afraid. We don’t have to tell them about us, but even if we did, they’d love you.” I squeezed her close to me. “It’d be impossible for them not to.”
Polly scoffed and sat forward, her back to me. “I don’t know about that. I’m a thirty-eight-year-old woman taking advantage of their young son who has his whole future ahead of him. They may like me as your employer, but once they find out I’ve deflowered their precious baby boy, I don’t think it’ll go so well.”
I held back a laugh as I sat up, cuddling close to her so that my nose brushed the nape of her neck. “I hate to break it to you, but I think the jig is up on my deflowering situation.”
As Polly muttered something unintelligible, I slid my hands up her arms and settled my fingertips at the base of her neck, trying to massage out some of the tension still sitting there.
“Do you want me to meet your parents?” I could hear the hesitation in her voice, the insecurity there.
“I do. But this is new. And like we agreed, we can go at your pace. I’m not in a rush.”
She muttered something like tricks and magic fingers as I kept finding new spots of tension. She let out a breathy moan as I hit a spot in her neck that made her entire posture melt. I scooted forward until my front was flush with her back, my legs bracketing hers. She tilted her head to the side as I changed my massage technique to include slow, opened mouth kisses on her neck. My groin tightened with each little moan or gasp from her lips.
“Jace?” Polly panted. “Can I ask you an honest question?”
“Mmmhmm,” I hummed, feeling goosebumps break out on her arms. I gently sucked at the juncture of her neck and shoulder, canting my hips, my hard length aching with each brush against her backside.
“Is there a reason you smell like rubber and a boys’ locker room?”