7. Chapter 7
I hear the knock on the door and immediately swing it open. I’m about to give Aaron a heartfelt sorry for bothering you and thank you for coming, but I’m silenced by what I see. His hair is dark and tousled. He must have gone to bed when it was still damp. The white t-shirt he’s wearing looks too small for his frame. It doesn’t leave anything to the imagination. I can almost see his broad shoulders, muscular chest, defined arms, and lean abs through the thin fabric. The man needs a shave and a comb, but oh my goodness, is he beautiful. My mind goes blank. All I can focus on are the dimples forming on his cheeks. His lips, now grinning down at me.
“The mouse?” he asks.
“I’m so sorry for waking you,” I say, still distracted. “I grabbed the towels off the towel rack when I ran out of the bathroom and put them down against the bottom of the door.”
“Ok, I’ll go take a look.”
I notice he’s holding a contraption that looks like a long plastic tube with a handle on top and an opening at one end.
“Is that thingy a trap? I don’t want you to kill it.”
“Yes, this thingy is a no-kill trap. Do you have some cheese or peanut butter?“ He asks.
“Yes, I have both. I’ll go get some peanut butter.”
I walk to the kitchen and grab the jar of peanut butter from the pantry and a small spoon from a drawer. He puts the trap on the counter and puts some peanut butter inside. He picks up the trap and walks down the hall towards the bathroom. I’m following close behind him when, all of a sudden, he turns around and slams right into me.
“Loren, what are you doing?” he asks, looking down at me with an intensity I can’t describe.
“What if you need help?” I retort.
“If you’re afraid of mice, there’s nothing you can do except stand there and look pretty.”
“I don’t know whether to be flattered or insulted by that statement.”
“I’m sorry,” he says. “You’re right. I do need your help. I’m going to open the door slightly. Once I slip inside and shut the door, I need you to put the towels back on the bottom so the mouse can’t escape, ok?
He opens the door and walks in. As soon as he’s in, he shuts the door. I do exactly what he said and then wait by the door.
“Can you see it?” I ask.
“No, I don’t see it anywhere. Maybe it got out. Wait. I think it’s in the bathtub.”
My skin crawls. I can hear him open the shower curtain.
“Yep, he’s in the tub. The poor thing’s cowering in the corner of the bathtub, hoping I won’t see him.”
A couple of minutes later, he’s back at the door opening it. He slips out, and I put the towels back down.
“It shouldn’t take very long before he goes after the peanut butter and gets trapped in there. You can go to bed and put him out in the morning.”
“Wait, what? You won’t leave me here alone with that mouse still in my house.”
He must see the panic on my face because he smiles teasingly, making the dimples on his cheeks appear deeper than usual.
Glaring at him, I ask, “Are you making fun of me?”
“No, no, I would never make fun of you,” he says, looking down at me, his face inches away from mine.
“Well, you should tell your face.”
A burst of laughter escapes his lips. A loud, roaring belly laugh that is most definitely reaching his eyes. I can’t help but laugh too.
“Can you stay until we catch him?” I ask.
“I’ll stay.” He says.
“Would you like some coffee?” I ask.
“Yes, I’ll take some coffee.”
After I pour each of us a cup of coffee, I sit on the couch, and he sits across from me on the ottoman. His voice is deep and warm. His demeanor is easygoing. I don’t know how much time went by, but we spent it talking.
“What brought you back to Cold Spring?” I asked.
“Adam and I worked together before Julie got sick,” he said, “When she got her diagnosis, we decided to move our family to California so she could be close to her family.”
I sit and listen intently. I watch his hazel eyes fill with so many different emotions as he recounts his life for the past three years. I’m mesmerized by his smile, and touched by how he talks about his wife and daughter.
“Holly reflects the wonderful job you’ve done as a parent,” I say smiling, “She’s an intelligent, sweet little girl.”
“Your turn,” he says smiling when I ask him if he ever thinks about getting remarried.
Well, at least I know he’s not married.
“Did you see Holly’s plate?” I ask.
“Yes,” he says, “I saw it as soon as I walked in the door. Thank you so much for dropping it off.”
“You’re welcome,” I say, wanting to mention that I met his girlfriend.
“What about you?” he asks, “have you been in a serious relationship since Justin?”
Snap! We look at each other and smile. The mouse trap did its job.
“Gotcha!” he says.
Five minutes later, my home is pest-free once again. Aaron is releasing the mouse somewhere outside, hopefully far away from the house.
“Thank you,” I say as soon as he walks back in.
“No problem,” he says. He walks to the bathroom, and I hear him washing his hands. I look at the clock and realize he’s been here for almost two hours. His girlfriend is probably in bed waiting for him, wanting to know what’s taking him so long.
“Well, I won’t keep you any longer,” I say, “I appreciate you coming over to help me.”
“Anytime,” he says, looking at me with an intensity that I can feel down to my soul. “Good night,” he says, walking over to the front door and opening it.
“Good night,” I say. As he steps out the door, I look at him and smile. Then he turns around and walks away. I shut the door and ask myself why it bothers me that he left. Why does it bother me that he’s not sleeping alone tonight? He would’ve never left Holly home alone, so his girlfriend must be there.
I finish getting ready for bed now that my unwelcome guest is gone, thinking of the mouse, not the man.
I walk into my bedroom and glance over at the window. From this angle, I can see his house. The lights are on in one of the rooms in the back of the house. It must be their bedroom. I slip under the blankets but have a hard time relaxing. I sit up and draw my knees up to my chest, hugging them tightly against me with both arms. I can’t help but look out the window again. The lights are still on. Maybe Holly woke up. Maybe he’s explaining himself to his girlfriend.
I’m thinking back to that day at church. I noticed he was still wearing his wedding ring when he scooped up Holly after service. During our brief exchange, I thought it was so sweet that he hadn’t taken it off after his wife passed away, but maybe it’s because he has a new wife. I wonder why she didn’t go to church with them. Maybe she wasn’t in town yet.
Holly never mentioned her daddy has a girlfriend or a wife. She didn’t tell me she has a new mommy, nor did she paint a third person on her plate. I would’ve noticed. What am I thinking? Why am I thinking at all? I should be sleeping. I lie back down and stare at the ceiling, veiled in darkness with only the light from the moon coming in. Or maybe it’s the light from Aaron’s bedroom.
Katherine would have mentioned a girlfriend or a wife if he was married. When Adam picked them up from the airport, it was just him and Holly.
He must be married. I grab the pillow next to me and press it down over my face. So my neighbor might be in a relationship, so what? It’s none of my business. I chastise myself for the next half hour and finally give in to sleep.
A few hours later, my internal clock wakes me up. I try to go back to sleep, but all I can think about is Aaron’s laugh. His laugh made me laugh too. I can’t remember the last time I laughed like that. I also think of his scruffy beard and tousled hair.
I lie in bed for a few more minutes, thinking I have a lot to do today, including posting an ad online for an office manager/artist/receptionist/event coordinator/bookkeeper. I’ve been doing the work of five people. Mom is right; this has got to stop.
My mind wanders and settles on him again.
That’s it, I’m going for a jog.
I get out of bed, brush my teeth, and put my hair in a ponytail. I put on some shorts, a tank top, and a sweatshirt. Five minutes later, I lock the door behind me. I glance at his house and see his car still parked in the driveway. He’s still home.
I stand in my driveway, do a few stretches, and then start walking down the street. After a few minutes, I start my jog and feel the rings around my neck bouncing against my chest. I realize that for the first time in four years, Justin was not the last thing I thought of when I went to bed, and he wasn’t the first thing I thought of when I woke up this morning.
The first thing I thought of was Aaron.