17. Chapter Seventeen
An evening away from the house is just what the doctor ordered.
It’s me, hi. I’m the doctor, it’s me.
Even though I don’t know much about Taylor Swift, I’d have to live under a rock not to have heard that song—well, with the original lyrics.
Honestly, I just need a Kelsey-free zone for one night. I get home from work tonight ready for just that.
“Have a good weekend.” Kelsey hugs Evie and shoots me a soft smile and wave before heading out the front door.
“I’ll be right down, Eves.” I run upstairs, taking the steps two at a time. I throw my scrubs straight into the laundry bin and pull on my favorite pair of jeans and a black, long-sleeve shirt. After I swipe on more deodorant, I head to the kitchen.
“What are we eating tonight?” She’s sitting at the kitchen table, looking at me like she’s hoping I’m going to say I’m making boxed macaroni and cheese again.
“We’re eating some leftover spaghetti tonight so that we can make it to your surprise.”
Her face falls when I mention leftovers, but she perks up again at the mention of a surprise. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll have to wait and see.” Once I split the remaining noodles between our bowls, I add the leftover meat sauce and get her meal in the microwave.
I move to the sink to wash the empty glass containers. However, when I turn the faucet on, instead of cleaning my bowl, I’m greeted by a thorough spraying of water…straight to the crotch. I hold back the curse word that wants to come out for the sake of the young ears in the room. I attempt to block the stream of water with my hands as I scramble to turn off the faucet.
I place my hands on the counter, breathing hard. What in the world just happened?
Evie bursts into laughter, pointing at me. “It looks like you peed your pants.”
I glance down. She’s not wrong. I’ll have to change my pants—and probably my shirt—before we leave.
I lean down, glancing at the spout, trying to figure out where it’s broken. That’s when I notice the black hair tie wrapped tightly around the sprayer.
I pull off the offender, holding it up in the air. “How did this get here?” Evie laughs again, and I turn to face her. “Did you do this?”
She giggles. “I helped Ms. Kelsey.”
I’m starting to think the prank war was a bad idea because it’s only given me more reasons for Kelsey to live rent-free in my thoughts.
I put the hair tie on the kitchen table. “You did?” Taking slow steps toward Evie, I hold my hands up like a monster. “You know what that means.”
“No,” she squeals. “Not the tickle monster.” Evie runs around the table, and I catch her in my arms, tickling her sides before lifting her in the air. Her laughter fills the space, making me wonder if I’ll ever hear my own children’s laughter floating through my house.
I shake my head, unsure where that thought came from. I’ve always wanted a family, but I have a few steps to take before getting to that point. You know, like dating.
You already went on a date with Kelsey , I remind myself. Or maybe a non-date. Either way, I enjoyed our non-date way more than the real ones in my twenties.
Even the two years I spent with my last girlfriend weren’t as enjoyable as the short time I’ve spent with Kelsey. But I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. My ex wasn’t exactly marriage materia l. After all, I could never end up with someone who thought I spent too much time taking care of Evie and Tess after my sister went through her divorce.
“Uncle Ty, you’re getting my shirt wet.” She wiggles in my arms.
I put Evie back on her feet. “Sorry, kiddo.” The microwave beeps, and I drop to my knees. “Dinner or new clothes first?”
She pinches her wet shirt. “New clothes.”
I help her find a sweater that should keep her warm since we’ll be outside after dusk for the surprise I have in store. I leave her alone to change and head to my room, throwing my pants into my laundry hamper and putting on a pair of khakis. After looking at myself in the mirror, I change out of my black long-sleeve into a maroon one.
We meet back in the kitchen to eat dinner. Evie tops her bowl of spaghetti with an obscene amount of Parmesan cheese that probably takes away all the nutritional value of this meal, but she’s a growing girl, so I don’t say anything.
I put our used bowls in the sink. Even though it kills me to leave dirty dishes out, I don’t want to risk missing our entry time for tonight’s event.
“Put your shoes on, please.” I pull on my duck boots and grab her coat from the closet. “To the car,” I say, throwing Evie over my shoulder. She playfully hits my back. “Hmm, this sack of potatoes sure is wiggly. Maybe it needs a quality check.” I put her down and hold up an imaginary magnifying glass, moving it up and down her arms.
Evie shakes her head, but the grin she’s wearing is worth all the gold in the world. “It’s me , Uncle Ty.”
“Well, thank goodness. Otherwise, you would miss the Pumpkin Spectacular.”
She gasps. “I heard people talking about that at school.” Evie wraps her little arms around my neck. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” I smile, glad to feel like I’m at least doing one thing right. While it’s hard to process all my muddled feelings toward Kelsey, at least I can sleep at night knowing Evie is loved and cared for while her mom is gone.
We park and walk to a local amphitheater, getting in line behind a large group of people waiting to be let in for our time slot. Evie and I talk about her day at school and play games together on my phone until the sun sets. After dusk, the volunteers begin letting people in. The second we pass under the arch and enter the trail for the park, Evie looks around like it’s Christmas morning.
We walk along the paved path between a forest of trees. Pumpkins surround us on both sides, all exquisitely carved. There are so many little details that you could walk around for hours and still need more time to look at them all.
Evie’s hands ball into little fists as she excitedly takes everything in.
“Can you guess how many pumpkins there are?”
“A hundred?” she asks with awe.
“More than five thousand.”
Evie’s jaw drops. “That’s way higher than I can count.”
“Maybe it will be good math practice.”
“No.” She groans. “We’re here for fun , Uncle Ty. Not school.” Evie points ahead. “It’s Elsa!” She drags me to a section featuring characters from Frozen , where baby-blue lights illuminate the pumpkins and the chorus of “Let It Go” plays.
Evie finally lets us continue walking once I’ve heard the song at least three times. “Is Ms. Kelsey coming?”
“No, I thought we’d have fun tonight, just the two of us.”
She scrunches her nose. “Then why is she here?”
I glance up and see Kelsey and her roommates looking at the rest of the Disney-themed designs.
“Ms. Kelsey!” Evie shouts, letting go of my hand and running to her nanny.
Kelsey turns our way, her surprise morphing into a giant grin as she hugs my niece.
So much for my Kelsey-free night . There’s not a chance Evie will let me pull her away from Kelsey and her friends now.
I walk over and suddenly have no idea what to do with my hands. Do I hug Kelsey? Or maybe go for a firm handshake? A little wave? I’m way out of my depth here.
Before I can do something stupid, I shove them in my jeans pockets. “Fancy seeing you here.”
She raises a brow. “Are you following me, Frankenstein?”
“You wish, Anderson.” I really need to come up with a better nickname to irk her. Trying to avoid a conversation with Kelsey, I turn to her friends. “Which pumpkins are your favorite so far?”
Shayna sighs dreamily. “Definitely the one of Rapunzel and Flynn Rider.”
“I’m partial to Jack Sparrow.” Mallory kicks at a pebble on the path.
“And you?” I look at Alyssa.
“There’s only one real answer to that question: Taylor Swift.”
“That one was so pretty.” Evie pops up between Alyssa and Shayna, grabbing each of their hands. They must’ve really bonded for her to feel this comfortable around them.
“Which one was your favorite, Evie?” Shayna swings their joined hands.
“Elsa!”
Alyssa smiles down at my niece. “It was cool that the ‘Let It Go’ track was playing in the background there.”
“It wasn’t a track. Elsa was singing it.” Evie shoots us all a duh expression.
“Right, silly me.” Alyssa thunks her forehead with her palm, making a goofy face and pulling a laugh out of Evie.
Evie continues forward, talking animatedly with Shayna, Alyssa, and Mallory, leaving me behind to walk beside Kelsey. I can’t help but wonder if this was planned.
I clear my throat. “You know, I had to change my pants before coming here.”
She stifles a laugh. “Why is that?”
I turn on my heels. “I think you know why.”
“What did you do?” Mallory turns around and nudges Kelsey’s arm, looking amused.
Well, at least I know her friends are listening and that this walking situation was definitely planned. Whether it was forced on Kelsey like it was on me has yet to be determined.
Kelsey shrugs. “I was just continuing what he started.”
“I think you mean what you started,” I correct.
“Then you pranked me.” She points an accusatory finger my way. “I was only returning the favor.”
“Or you could’ve done nothing and accepted defeat.”
Kelsey smirks, looking like the thought of crowning me the victor is ridiculous. “Never.”
Mallory clears her throat. “Do we need to leave you two alone? Or…”
“No,” Kelsey and I say simultaneously.
Her lips pull up into a sly smile. “Just say the word if you change your mind.”
Once Mallory is a few steps ahead, I nudge Kelsey’s elbow with mine. “Sounds like we’ve added another matchmaker to our list.”
She scoffs. “Seriously. You’d think Darla and your receptionist would be enough.” She motions to her friends. “Now we’ve added three more to the list.” Kelsey looks at the pumpkins to our right and smirks. “On a different note, someone really captured your likeness in that one.”
I follow her finger to see Frankenstein’s head. “Don’t you think you’ve overused that?”
“That joke will never go out of style.”
I rub my hand over my mouth to hide my smile. It’s refreshing how she always sticks to her guns. “You know what else doesn’t go out of style? Making you sweat while you wait to see how I’m going to pay you back.”
She crosses her arms. “I’m not nervous.”
“Yeah, keep telling yourself that.”
Kelsey comes to a stop, playfully whacking my arm. “You don’t scare me, Tyler Reed.”
My lips tilt up into a playful grin. “Good to know, Kelsey Anderson.”
We’re staring at each other in the ultimate showdown, waiting to see who will back down first. Spoiler alert: it won’t be me.
Mallory’s voice breaks our staring competition. “Looks like you two have to kiss.”
Kelsey whips around, sending a wave of her sweet shampoo scent my way. I can’t see whatever face she sends her friends, but Mallory only lifts an eyebrow in response.
“Don’t blame me.” She points up. “Blame the mistletoe.”
“Mistletoe?” Kelsey laughs. “It’s October, not December.”
Yet I look up and find mistletoe carved into a pumpkin hanging from a tree branch above us. I’m unsure whether I want to thank or punch whoever did this.
I told myself this was going to be a Kelsey-free night. But I would be lying if I hadn’t been thinking about how beautiful she was with her wind-blown hair and gray sweater.
Without thinking about the ramifications of my actions, I wrap my hands around Kelsey’s back and dip her. She gasps, and I wish I could bottle up the sound as physical evidence of the effect I have on her.
I press my mouth to the corner of her lips, and she inhales sharply. That little sound makes goosebumps erupt across my skin, and I question for a second if I should actually kiss her or not.
No, if we kiss, I want it to be real. Not because we’re standing under some fake mistletoe and especially not when we have an audience.
If I’m going to kiss Kelsey Anderson, it’s going to be just for us.
That doesn’t mean I can’t tease her, though.
I move my lips slightly, grazing the corner of her mouth. “I’d say we should put on a show for our wannabe matchmakers.” I keep one of my hands around her back and cradle her cheek with the other, blocking our lips from the view of her friends and Evie. “But if I ever kiss you, it’ll be because it’s real.”
Pulling back, I look into her hazel eyes, ignoring the wolf whistles around us and her friends’ gaping mouths. Her eyes search mine like she might find the answer there. I don’t have any answers, though. I’ve only got questions myself.
Up until now, I wasn’t sure if Kelsey would ever be interested in something more with me than the banter we effortlessly toss around. But the fact that she didn’t pull away makes me believe that a shred of hope might be there.
With the way her pupils are dilated and move to stare at my lips, I’m starting to allow myself to wonder how they might taste pressed to mine.