Chapter 23 Audrey
Chapter twenty-three
Audrey
The purring and sputtering of a coffee maker woke me from my slumber Sunday morning.
As I peel my eyes open and see the shiplap walls around me, it takes a moment to register where I am.
And that I shared the bed last night with a blonde-haired man who held me all night.
It was never in the plan, but somewhere between playing cards on the screened in porch and laughing my head off as Mabel body slammed the bedroom door, trying to get in to sleep on the bed, I grew tired.
And as naturally as Rhett and I found each other, I found myself sleeping in his arms.
Rolling out of bed, I’m grateful to have a moment to pull myself together.
I scurry into the bathroom after grabbing my clothes from yesterday and freshen up the best I can.
Luckily, I never go anywhere without an obscene number of toiletries and cosmetics.
Though this morning I forgo the blush, as my cheeks seem to have a permanent rosiness, and my skin a new glow that I'm not angry about.
Ten minutes later, I mosey out into the kitchen with my hair in a braid, wearing jean shorts, and a button-down linen top. And maybe a few spritz of perfume.
With his back to me, Rhett stands in front of the coffee pot, filling two mugs. The clock on the stove reads 9 a.m., and a bout of panic rises in my chest.
I haven’t slept past 5 a.m. since the day Jackson left me. I guess it was long overdue, but I also still have an apartment— or room—to unpack.
“I was just about to get out of your hair,” I pipe up.
Rhett turns around slowly, his blue eyes raking me over and crosses his arms. “Good morning to you, too.” His gray sweatpants lay low on his hips, leaving little to the imagination and an Atlanta Braves baseball cap hides his messy mop of dirty blond hair.
Embarrassed, I slap my hand to my eyes. I should’ve left last night. My god, what was I thinking? “Good morning, I’m sorry. I just…I don’t want to overstay my welcome and I’m sure you have stuff to do.”
Rhett offers me the coffee mug. “I’m in no rush, seriously. At least have coffee with me?”
I hesitate but I crumble quickly because I can't deny coffee, and I can’t deny him.
“Okay.” I take it from him, and grin over the hot steam. “Thank you.”
He bobs his head, and I try my best to keep my eyes off his bare chest and V-shaped muscles.
“I’ll walk you out soon.” He sets his mug down. “I just need to get clothes on, so you can stop eye fucking me.” He winks and my jaw drops. I scoff as he walks into his bedroom.
I don’t recall banter ever being this easy with anyone but Penny. But before I can analyze more about what that means, Mabel wobbles up next to me, stretching her long legs, her nose in the air towards the countertop.
“What is it, sweet girl?”
Mabel lets out a low grumble in response. I crouch down to pet her, but she protests, nudging my hand toward the counter.
“You want more treats?” I whisper, chuckling as I snatch a treat from the counter. “I’ll meet you out on the porch, Rhett,” I called out, just loud enough so he could hear me through the slightly open bedroom door.
Mabel follows me to the front porch. As soon as I sit on the swing, she sits, too, trying to give me her paw before I even ask. I break a piece of the treat off, shake her paw, and give her the treat I made.
I can’t believe I was going to let Jackson deprive me of a life without a dog.
Mabel begins showing off her other tricks, offering me alternating paws without even being prompted, when the sudden crunch of tires on gravel startles me.
I turn, squinting against the bright morning sun as a car drives down the driveway towards the house.
My body freezes as my stomach drops—a sense of urgency to get out of here takes over me.
I take a few sips of coffee, torn between going inside to hide or being a darn adult, and staying put.
Before I reach a decision, the car stops and out steps a woman with grayish blonde hair knotted on top of her head. Mabel ends her pony show, galloping down the steps towards the stranger.
“How’s my grandbaby! Your papa sure is feeding you well, Miss Mabel!” I can’t help but smile at this woman’s sweet demeanor, but then that smile turns to dread.
Grandbaby…holy shit, this is Rhett’s mom.
Smoothing my braid, and rubbing my tired eyes, I pray I don’t look like I just rolled out of her son's bed.
A box of leafy greens rests on his mom’s hips as she walks toward the porch, a curious smile on her lips. Her blue sundress hangs over yellow rain boots, and as she gets closer, I can see her and Rhett have the same eyes.
“Well, you are certainly not my son,” she chuckles, and I stand, taking a few steps to close the gap between us on the porch.
“Hi there, I’m Audrey. Rhett’s inside. I was actually on my way out.” I nod towards my SUV, even though all my stuff was inside. Including my shoes.
“Nice to meet you, hon. I’m Renee, Rhett’s mom, obviously. And please, don’t leave because of me! I was just dropping off some stuff from my garden.” She offloads the overflowing box onto the table by the front door.
“Wow, did you grow all of that?” I can’t hide the awe in my voice and notice a twinkle in Renee’s eyes as she admires all the produce.
“I did!” She nods proudly. “Rhett surely told you that he grew up on a farm. When he was little, we grew strawberries, corn, beans…you name it. If I wanted to try growing it, my husband would find a new patch of dirt to make it happen.” Her eyes glazed over in a sad but lovely way.
“I’m retired now, but I still hobby farm a bit, and sell produce at the farmer's market. Nothing big like it used to be.”
“That’s really admirable, though. A lot of people can’t say they grow their own food.”
“You have a garden?” his mom asks, and I shake my head sheepishly.
I’ve never even attempted to plant anything.
Jackson said when we finally had our house, we’d hire a gardener to put in a rose garden in the backyard, like it was some grand gesture.
He thought they were my favorite flower, no matter how many times I reminded him it was blue hydrangeas.
“Oh no, I can’t even keep a mint plant alive on my window seal.”
“Hmm. Just keep trying, you’ll get it. Gardening truly is the best free therapy.” She laughs and I smile because it’s contagious. Must run in the family. A family I have no business meeting. This is just a summer fling, and flings are meant to be quick, and dirty, and secret in my case.
Relief floods me as Rhett appears in the doorway.
“Mom! What are you doing here?” Rhett's voice rises an octave, but he pulled her into a hug regardless. Behind her back he mouths I’m sorry and I wave my hand, dismissing it.
“Oh, you know, just dropping off a few things. And meeting your lovely friend, Audrey.” Her eyebrows shoot up and my cheeks grow hot.
“I’ll let you two chat, I really should be going.”
“You sure?” Rhett says at the same time his mom interjects.
“Where did you say you’re from?”
The question catches me off guard, but I hold my coffee mug to my chest and answer politely. “I’m from Connecticut originally, but I live in the city now.” I smile tightly, unsure what she’ll make of that.
“Oh, how lovely, and how did you two meet?”
“Mom, I think Audrey is trying to get out of here,” Rhett adds, leaning against the house. The cheerfulness was gone from his demeanor.
She slaps his chest with the back of her hand.
Rhett answers for me though. “I was doing work in her building. We met a few weeks ago.”
“You know that’s how your father and I met.” Her expression is dreamy again and Rhett fidgets, but his small smile for his mom doesn’t falter. It’s clear he loves her, and it’s endearing to see a parent and adult child relationship that doesn’t look like ulterior motives and control.
“Oh, really?” I ask, curiosity piqued.
Renee’s hands come together as excitement blooms in her blue eyes.
“We met in California. He came out to see a Giants baseball game with a few of his buddies. I was a cocktail waitress at one of the bars near the stadium. He wandered in, bright eyed and bushy tailed. A tall, lanky North Carolina boy fresh out of college who kept calling me ma’am.
He asked if he could take me out for dinner the next day, and well, the rest is history. ”
“You don’t hear many love stories as classic as that anymore,” I add, meaning it. “And Rhett didn’t mention you weren’t from here.”
Renee waves her hand. “Oh honey, I’m a California girl. I thought my father was going to kill Nick when he convinced me to move to the East Coast to take over his family’s farm. But the truth is, I would’ve gone anywhere for him. He was my best friend.”
It grows quiet and Rhett shifts again behind her, pain crossing his features before it disappears, his eyes finding mine. “Audrey, don’t get her started on stories or you won’t be home until Monday morning.”
“Okay, okay, I’m done! I’m out of here!” Renee laughs, hugging her son goodbye, and waves at me as she makes her way back to her car.
Rhett and I stand there, side by side on the wooden porch.
“Sorry about that.” He closes his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Don’t apologize, your mom is so sweet.” I meant it, even if this threw me off. I don’t think I ever left a conversation with Jackson’s mother Vivianne without feeling like I needed a drink and an anxiety pill. But talking to Renee felt like a warm hug.
“You know how moms are.”
I laughed at Rhett’s sentiment because if my parents saw me and the way I'm derailing everything right now, I doubt Rhett would describe their response as sweet.
“Trust me, there’s not a single similarity between your mom and mine. Consider yourself lucky for that.”
“How do you mean?” Rhett’s brow furrowed, and a lump rose in my throat as I crossed my arms over my chest.
“Oh, nothing. Your mom just seems like a very warm and genuine person.” I quickly divert the conversation away from something I’m not ready to divulge right now, or maybe ever. “Anyway, thanks for accommodating me…I know it was unexpected yesterday.”
Rhett closes the gap between us, sliding his hand up my neck to my jawline, sending shivers down my spine. I wanted to lean all of myself into him and disappear back into the little cloud we exist on where it’s just us two.
“Thanks for the cookies,” he says so seriously that we both crack a smile before he kisses me.
“Anytime,” I whisper through puckered lips.
I savor the kiss, unable to shake the unexpected fear gripping me that at any moment, reality will hit me, and it could be our last.