Chapter Thirty-Four #2
“Well”—I shift my gaze to Everleigh, who hides her grin behind her mug before taking a sip—“I didn’t have a chance to mention it.
I thought I had time. After all, I just got here today.
And I thought my friend would come later this week, like in a few days.
In fact, I hadn’t even given her the address.
” I step behind the kitchen island to wash my hands.
Everleigh sets her mug on the end table. “I know you like surprises, so I thought I’d come today.”
“I don’t like surprises,” I say.
“Well, I’m so glad you’re here. William, I was just telling Everleigh how I met your father. She didn’t know we’re twenty years apart in age.”
I toss the towel aside, eyeing Everleigh the whole time. And she doesn’t shy away from my narrow-eyed gaze.
“The Landry men like their women young,” Everleigh says.
Mom’s eyes widen. “Oh! Are you and Will—”
“I don’t think that’s an accurate statement,” I say, sitting at the opposite end of the sofa, propping my ankle on my opposing knee. “Everleigh is a psychiatrist. She’s fascinated by human behavior.”
“I met William eleven years ago at Tyler and Victoria’s wedding. Do you know them?” she asks my mom.
This is too much. What was I thinking when I invited her? Perhaps I was thinking I’d have a few days to prepare my mom for her arrival.
“Yes, of course. Thatcher and I were visiting my mom in Florida, so we missed the wedding. Did you go to medical school with Victoria?”
Everleigh nods. “I did.”
“And now you’re working in Missoula with Jamie. What a small world.”
It’s not that small. Clearly Everleigh has left out the part where she moved to Missoula to stalk me for years.
I glance at my watch. “It’s past three. Are you already checked into your hotel?” I ask Everleigh.
“Hotel?” Mom laughs. “Darling, I already have her settled into the guest room across from yours.”
Everleigh rolls her lips together and gives me an innocent one-shouldered shrug.
“I should get started on dinner. Do you eat red meat, Everleigh?” Mom stands and makes her way to the kitchen.
“I do. How can I help you?”
“I don’t need help. But thanks for asking. Will, you should turn on the porch heaters and show her the view of the lake.”
I hum, but not in agreement. It’s more of a hmm . . . what the hell is happening?
“I’ll grab a sweater,” Everleigh says, taking her mug to the kitchen before padding her bare feet toward the guest room across from mine.
As Mom surveys dinner options in the fridge, I follow Everleigh.
“You invited me,” she says, pulling a sweater from her suitcase on the end of the bed as I quietly close the bedroom door behind me.
“I did. I just didn’t anticipate you counting to ten after I left and then jumping into your truck to follow me.”
“I counted to fifty. How long did you want me to count?” She turns, threading her arms through her red sweater and pulling it on over her white T-shirt. I love how those faded jeans hang low on her hips, giving me a peek of her navel when she lifts her arms.
“At least a hundred,” I say.
“Because you’re old and you need a longer head start.” She slips on black fuzzy socks.
“If you’re going to bust my balls, at least fondle them first.” I step in front of her as she snorts. Then I duck and nuzzle my face into her neck.
God, I want to get lost in her.
“Twenty years, William.” She threads her fingers through my hair, and it makes me shiver. “Your parents are twenty years apart, and you never mentioned it?”
I kiss her neck and slide my hands down her back to grab her ass. “My mom was legal when my dad stuck his dick in her.”
Everleigh giggles. “Don’t say it like that.”
I grin before teasing her earlobe with my teeth.
She grips my hair and pulls her head back just enough to brush her lips against mine. “You should have seen the look on your mom’s face when I said I was your friend, and you invited me to spend the week with you.”
“About that . . .” I stand straight and take a step back before I do something stupid like take off her clothes. “Where did you get this address? Jamie? Maren?”
“Your parents own this property. It’s public record. It’s called the internet, William.”
“You could have texted me.”
“You would have told me to wait a few days. Which, by the way, you didn’t tell me to wait a few days. You told me to come stay for a few days.”
I shake my head, rubbing my hands over my face. “I can’t believe you get paid to help people’s mental health.”
“Most therapists and psychiatrists get therapy. It’s considered self-care.
And if I had one, I’d tell them about you.
But I don’t, so my flaws go unchecked.” She shrugs with her palms up.
“If you want me to go home, I will. But I know you want me to stay until we have sex, then you’ll send me home because you’ll have a dip in testosterone from the oxytocin release during sex, and that will cause a desire to withdraw.
That’s why I’m not having sex with you until I’m ready to leave. ”
I can’t imagine why she’s still single.
“Then why are you here so early? I only invited you for sex.”
“I thought I could give your mom free therapy. And maybe I can meet your father.”
“My father won’t remember you. His memory is shit.”
Everleigh grins. “Don’t be so sure. I’m pretty unforgettable. And maybe you should leave the psych evaluation to me. Now, show me this fantastic lake view. Then let’s help your mom finish dinner.” She brushes past me toward the door.
I grab her wrist, and we stand idle, backs to each other. No words. Just a pause. My fingers tease her palm. Then I release her, take a breath, and follow her to the main room.
“What were you two doing in there for so long?” Mom asks, chopping a red onion.
“Just talking. No sex until I’m ready to go home,” Everleigh says without the slightest falter in her step as she heads to the covered deck.
I stop and pinch the bridge of my nose.
“Well.” Mom clears her throat. “I like her. A lot.”
I drop my hand to my side with a sigh. “Don’t get too attached. She’s moving to Baltimore.”