Chapter 41
Chapter Forty-One
Delaney
Iglance around the main living space of Lester’s efficiency unit. It’s definitely more space than I had at the trailer, and there’s already a couch and a small table. The sofa folds out into a bed, which is a plus.
“Sorry the couch is so old. I’ve been meaning to get a new one, but I haven’t gotten around to it. From what Tillie tells me, the mattress on that one has seen better days.” There’s a fatherly tone in his words.
“It’s a great place, and your property is gorgeous. And don’t worry, I can sleep just about anywhere.”
I glance over at Harrison, who has been uncharacteristically quiet. He’s leaning against a wall with his hands in the pockets of his shorts, his head flexed forward while he stares at the ground.
“Harrison?” He lifts his gaze to look at me. “What do you think? It’s pretty nice, right?”
A tight smile forms on his face, and his eyes dart around the room.
“Yeah, it’s nice, but… never mind.”
“No, not ‘never mind.’ Tell me what you were going to say.”
“Uh, how about I give you two a minute?” Lester asks. I glance at him, and he’s already at the door.
“No, Lester. Please stay.” I don’t want this to become a big deal, and if he stays, we can move on after Harrison finishes giving his opinion.
Lester releases the door handle and walks the few steps to the kitchen area, where he leans against the counter and studies it like it’s the most interesting thing in the world.
I turn my attention back to Harrison and wait for him to answer the question. He already knows that I can handle silence longer than he can.
A weary sigh escapes him.
“I was going to say that I don’t understand why you won’t stay at the cabin. You’re already there, and you can walk to work. A bonus is that it’s closer to my house when we want to see each other.”
I shake my head at him.
“I’ve told you I don’t want to appear as if I’m taking advantage of you. People will have things to say.”
“What people? And why do they matter? Our relationship is nobody’s business.”
“You know employees walk the paths that surround the property. Someone will see me coming out of the cabin, or my car parked there, and they’ll assume I’m getting special treatment.”
“You already know my theory about when people have shit to say about you or anyone I care about, remember?”
I roll my eyes at him because it’s not as easy as he makes it out to be.
“What’s your theory?” I’m surprised, but Lester’s joined in on the discussion. “I’ve got to hear this one.” A deep chuckle rumbles from him.
Lester pushes off the counter and stands upright, then folds his arms across his chest. He’s focused directly on Harrison.
Harrison shoots him a look that I think is an attempted evil eye, but there’s no weight behind it.
“Well, first, I don’t care what anyone says as you both may have figured out. But more importantly, if anyone has malicious things to say about Delaney, or anyone I lo—”
Harrison’s eyes widen so much that it wouldn’t surprise me if his eyeballs flew across the room. I imagine I look the same way because I’m wondering what he was going to say. Lester, however, smirks.
Harrison clears his throat.
“Sorry, my mouth went dry for a second. What I was saying is that if someone says negative things about a person I care about, or another employee, then they have no place in our company. We don’t promote that type of culture.”
“Is that who you’re worried about?” Lester asks me.
“Well, yeah, sort of. I’m afraid people will think there’s favoritism because I’m an administrative assistant to the brothers. Or because,” I look over at Harrison and gesture to him with my head, “because I’m sort of seeing this one.”
“There’s no sort of about it. We’re together. You’re mine, and I’m yours.” Harrison’s words come out growly, and they should annoy me, but they don’t.
My cheeks heat, and I’m convinced they’re as red as the poppies growing wild in Lester’s yard.
“Okay, tone it down over there, buster,” I say.
I turn my back on both men and take another minute to peruse the place one last time. Then, I spin around to face them once more.
“Harrison, would you please step into the hall or outside while I talk to Lester?”
Harrison’s jaw drops, and he narrows his eyes. After a few seconds of gawking at me like that, he closes his mouth. “What? Why?”
“Because I want to talk rent with Lester, and that’s between him and me.” Harrison stands stock-still, a frown on his face. After about ten awkward seconds, Lester speaks.
“Come on, young man, go outside and give her some privacy.”
“Fine, but I don’t like it.”
“Noted,” I say with laughter in my voice. He walks over to the door and leaves the unit.
I turn to Lester. “He seems pretty comfortable with you.” It’s a statement and a question at the same time.
“Yeah, we hang out sometimes at my hardware store. He can be a stubborn ass, but he’s a good man. In fact, he’s one of the best men I’ve known in my lifetime, and I’ve been around a long time.”
“Wow, that’s quite a compliment.”
Lester shrugs. “It’s well deserved.”
Hearing Lester talk about Harrison like this fills my chest with warmth. Not because I don’t believe he’s a good guy without Lester’s recommendation, but I like that someone else clearly sees the real him.
It’s time for a subject change, or else I might get emotional, and that would probably make both Lester and me uncomfortable.
“So, how much is the rent?”
“Ruthie told me you were gonna bring that up when she called me about the place. She says you’re pretty autarchic—”
“You’ll have to pardon my ignorance, but what the heck does autarchic mean?”
“Oh, sorry. I do a lot of crossword puzzles, so a lot of random words are in here.” He taps the side of his head.
“Basically, it means you don’t depend on anyone for anything; you’re quite self-reliant.
Anyway, I don’t keep this place to make money.
The reason I maintain it is that if people ever need a place to stay, whether for a short term or longer, it’s here. I don’t require rent.”
I vigorously shake my head at him. “I can’t not pay rent wherever I live. There’s no way I would feel right about it. I can take care of myself, and I can pay for a place to stay.”
Lester grins at me. “See? Autarchic.” He ambles over to the couch, sits, and then pats the cushion next to him. “Come sit with me for a minute?”
My heart beats faster, wondering what he’s going to say.
I hesitate for a few seconds, then walk over and sit on the sofa, tilting my body so I can see his face.
“I know you can take care of yourself—”
“I can. That’s why I’ll pay rent, and there’s no reason I shouldn’t.”
A single bushy eyebrow rises toward Lester’s hairline.
“Are you sure there’s no reason?” He looks me in the eye and doesn’t break the connection while he waits for my response.
I say nothing, but stare at him for a solid ten seconds. He couldn’t possibly know about Mom. I’ve only told Ruthie… Oh my God, I told Ruthie.
“What do you mean?” He’ll have to show his cards first if he knows.
His eyes soften, and his mouth turns down slightly at the corners.
“Don’t be mad at her. She did it from a place of caring, but Ruthie told me about your mom being over at the Meadow Creek Memory Care Unit.
” He glances at me, and when I don’t speak, he continues.
“She didn’t tell me to gossip about your business, but she says that you work a lot.
Not only for the boys but also bartending for a caterer.
Ruthie doesn’t miss much, and she says you’re careful about spending even small amounts of money. ”
“Frugal. I’m frugal, that’s all.”
I glance down at my hands because I can’t look him in the eye. I hate feeling like I’m lying, at least by omission, by pretending I don’t have financial concerns.
“And that’s okay, young lady. But a close buddy of mine spent his last couple of years in that unit.
Before he fell ill, he handled all the finances for his household.
So, when he could no longer do it, I taught his wife the basics of what she needed to know.
That means I know roughly how much that place costs.
If I were a betting man, I would guess you’re trying to save as much money as possible to pay for your mom’s care. ”
My heart pounds, and I’m shaking inside. I clasp my hands together to hide the slight tremor that’s accompanying the anxiety building up in my chest. I think it’s coming from another person knowing my situation.
“I still need to pay rent. It’s non-negotiable.”
“Two hundred dollars a month.” Lester’s face reflects his seriousness, his eyes narrowed, his lips slightly pursed.
He thinks he’s clever coming in with a low number, except I’m not a charity case.
“How about this? I’m hesitant to move here because it adds at least ten more minutes of driving to get to the facility to see my mom. I want to think about that before I commit.”
Lester nods in understanding, and I rise. He follows my lead. We walk over to the door, and I stop and turn toward him again.
“I can let you know by the end of the week. If I move in here, we need to talk about the rent because what you proposed is ridiculously low.”
Lester opens his mouth to say something, but I hold up my hand to stop him, and he takes the hint.
“I appreciate your kindness, and I understand why Ruthie told you, but I’m not a charity case. I have everything under control. So, is it okay if I let you know in a few days?”
“Of course,” Lester says. There’s a hint of raspiness in his tone. God, I hope I wasn’t too harsh. It’s never my goal to hurt anyone’s feelings.
I thank him and turn to leave, but when my hand is on the doorknob, I feel compelled to add one more thing. When I glance back at him, I offer him a smile.
“Nobody knows about my mom except you and Ruthie. I’d like to keep it that way. At least for now.” Surprise flickers across his face, then dissipates.
“May I ask what the reason is? God, now I sound like Ruthie getting all nosy.”
We both laugh at his comment because it’s 100% accurate. It’s very challenging to keep anything from Ruthie, but as much as everyone teases her about being a gossip, she’s held this bit of information about me to herself until now. I appreciate it.
I pivot to face him.
“It’s nothing drastic. Honestly, I think I’m afraid that if people know, they’ll feel sorry for me. My mom has had dementia since she was in her fifties, which, as you know, is quite young. I’ve got everything handled, and the idea of people treating me with pity doesn’t sit well with me.”
“I’m really sorry that happened to you and your mom,” Lester says.
Sincerity drips from his voice. “But I challenge you to think on it and decide whether you think this group of people—Harrison and the other boys, Tillie, Ruthie, Georgie—are the type of people who would do that. I can tell you, they are people who would want to help if they could, but they won’t allow it to color how they see you. ”
I feel the tightening as my eyebrows fly up toward my hairline, and I tilt my head to the side. I don’t even have to speak to imply that I disbelieve his theory.
“Okay. They might feel bad about your situation, and they might feel sorrow at what you’re going through, but they won’t treat you differently because of it.”
A sorrowful sigh escapes me. I wish I knew if that were true.
I smile at him, thinking that Harrison is probably getting restless.
“I’ll think about it. Please don’t tell anyone else until I’m ready.” He nods.
I open the door and have taken one step out when my eyes immediately find Harrison, fifteen feet away on a patio chair. He’s sitting with his head tilted back and his eyes closed, basking in the warm summer sun. He looks delicious. The celibacy pact is getting to me.
“Delaney?” Lester’s voice is hushed. I look over my shoulder at him. “Think about at least telling him. If you wait too long, it’ll hurt him. And don’t be afraid to like him as much as your heart wants to. Like I said, he’s a good kid.”
After Lester is back inside, I make my way over to Harrison and sit in the chair opposite him.
That’s when I notice his rhythmic breathing and realize he’s asleep.
Not one to waste an opportunity, I take a minute and look him up and down.
That’s a mistake because it reminds me that we still have ‘no-go’ zones, and I’m really wishing we didn’t.
When my roaming eyes make it back up to his face, he’s awake and smiling. His eyes look heavy, like they want to shut again and get more sleep.
“Like what you see there, Bets?” His voice is raspy from sleeping and, damn, it’s sexy.
I smile back at him. “I do. Very much.”
His face lights up, and he sits upright. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” He leans toward me and plants a soft kiss on my lips. When he pulls back enough to look at me, he cups the side of my face with his hand, and his eyes search mine.
“You okay?” he whispers.
I nod because I don’t trust myself to speak.
I lean forward and kiss his mouth, only I don’t move away after one kiss as he did.
I plant several pecks on his lips until he groans and moves his hand into my hair.
Then he uses it to gently urge me closer to him.
He deepens the kiss, and we both move slowly, reveling in the tangle of our tongues and the thrill of our lips touching each other.
“Rule number one if you move in here is no necking on my patio.” Lester’s voice is growly, with a hint of amusement.
We pull apart some, but Harrison lays one more soft caress on the side of my mouth before he sits upright. Then he stands, grabs my hand, and helps me up.
When we walk past Lester as he’s heading back to the main house, Harrison mortifies me when he huffs out, “Cockblocker.”
I’m pretty sure I still hear Lester’s roaring laughter even as we get to the car.