WHAT THE HELL?
By the time Kate returned in clean, dry clothes, the boys had already tidied up the mess and finished setting the table. No, make that, reset the table. Candles glowed from each end, and they’d replaced her everyday dishes with good china. Suspicion set in. “You guys want something from me.”
“Naw, we just wanted to help,” Alex said. “And, you know, make the table nice for company.”
Yeah, right. Every other time they had guests, her boys begged her to use paper plates so they didn’t have to help with the dishes.
She opened her mouth to interrogate further when the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it.” Drew jumped up from the table.
Moments later, he led Jake into the dining room. The air grew thick and the decent-sized room suddenly felt too small. A faded black T-shirt, branded with the Batman emblem, stretched across his wide chest. Well-toned thighs emerged from a pair of cut-off jeans.
Man, he could fill out a pair of shorts. “Hi, Jake. Have a seat.”
The boys jumped into their places, leaving their guest to sit next to her. Jake hurried over, his hand brushing her arm as he reached to pull out her chair. He stood so close, his eyes fixed on hers. “Ladies first.”
Good God, he’s yummy. “Thank you.” She sat and placed a napkin on her lap.
Jake did the same. “Are we celebrating something tonight?”
“No, why?”
He caught her eye, then quickly jerked away. “I dunno. It’s not often I get invited to dinner.”
Gladys’ words came rushing back, and Kate knew then she’d done the right thing. “It’s nothing special. I just made a lot and thought you’d like to join us.”
“Mom’s a great cook,” Alex said.
“And she can bake, too,” Drew added.
“Why thank you, boys.” She reached for the serving spoon. “Later, I’m going to find out what you did that warrants such flattery.”
Her sons gaped at her with wide innocent eyes. “We didn’t do anything. You are a great cook and a good baker. What’s wrong with saying that?” Alex said.
She studied them a moment before turning to their guest. “I hope you like lasagna.”
“I love it.”
After serving and saying grace, they all chatted about the disgustingly hot weather and how the Mets were doing. Jake fit right in with their small family, an observation that made her uneasy. Maybe she shouldn’t have invited him over, keeping their relationship professional instead.
“Coach, can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
Alex cleared his throat. “You look really buff, especially around your arms and chest. Do you work out?”
Jake stopped chewing, a deep pink inching up his neck into his cheeks.
“Alex! That’s not a proper question to ask.” Kate had no idea why, but anything referring to their guest’s incredible physique should be off limits.
“Why not? I’m thinking about starting an exercise program, and he’s the person to ask since he’s my doctor and clearly works out, right?”
“Well, obviously he does.” She groaned inwardly as soon as the words left her mouth. Learn when to shut up, Kate.
Jake cleared his throat. “I have some books I can lend you on the subject.”
“Thanks, Coach.”
Kate shifted in her seat and turned to her younger son, hoping to clear the tension in the room. “Drew, did you have fun today?”
“You bet. Me and a bunch of guys had a contest and I won.”
“What was the contest?”
“Whose mom is the hottest MILF.”
Frozen with her wine glass halfway to her lips, the air whooshed from her lungs. Water sprayed from Jake’s mouth onto his nearly empty plate.
Alex’s head jerked in his brother’s direction. “Dude!”
“What? She doesn’t know what that means.” Drew stared at her, his eyes rounded in horror. “Do you?”
“Yes, I do. How do you know?”
Alex slapped his mother’s shoulder. “Aw, c’mon, Ma. You should be flattered. That’s the second year in a row you’ve won.”
“You should not be having contests like that.” Kate’s face burned so hot she feared she might set her napkin ablaze.
“Why not? I won fair and square. Right, Coach?”
Jake’s eyes shifted from her to Drew. “I-I. Uh…”
“What’s the big deal?” her son continued. “I mean, Billy told me his dad saw you in a bathing suit and couldn’t believe you had two kids.”
Kate slammed her hand down on the table. “That’s enough!”
Drew stared at her as if she’d just taken away Christmas. “I’m sorry. I thought you’d be flattered.”
“Dr. Harris, I apologize for my sons’ behavior. They're usually very polite and courteous when we have company.” She finally found the courage to meet his eyes. His bottom lip clenched between his teeth. “You think this is funny?”
“I think it’s outrageous.”
She balled her hands into fist. “I don’t see what’s so hysterical about this.”
“Oh, come on, Kate. If I had a mom who looked like you, I’d probably have the same contest.”
She gaped at him, her pulse rocketing that he thought she deserved the title.
“I, uh—maybe.” He grew interested in tracing a pattern with his fork in the tomato sauce on his plate.
Kate lowered her head into her hands, feeling like she stood in front of him, naked. “Boys, help me clean up.” She grabbed her dish and rose from her seat.
They’d cleared most of the table before Alex took her aside. “What’s for dessert?”
“Oh, dear. I don’t have anything. I’ll run to the corner store.”
“Drew and I will go. You can finish the kitchen.”
“How about I go to the store and you finish the kitchen?”
Even though she was alone with Jake several times during the day, being in her home made the situation more intimate. Much scarier.
“Ha, ha, ha, no. We’ll go.” Alex held out his hand. Kate gave him some money and sent them off.
She returned to the dining room and collected the rest of the dishes. “The boys will be right back. They went to get dessert.”
Jake jumped up and gathered the wineglasses. “Why did you do that? I have dessert at my house.”
“Of course you do. Several different kinds of anything sugary, I’m sure.” She walked into the kitchen and placed the dishes next to the sink.
Jake leaned against the counter. “Thank you for inviting me.”
Kate busied herself with filling the dishwasher, attempting to ignore the adorable way he arranged the utensils into groups. “Well, I’m a little upset with myself. I usually would’ve invited a new neighbor over long before now. I shouldn’t have waited just because you’re my boss.”
“Hey, don’t forget lunch and coffee. Maybe someday soon I can return the favor.”
She smiled at his offer. “That’s not necessary.”
“I know.” His gaze felt heavy on her face, but she wouldn’t—she couldn’t—look at him. Because she knew if she did, gooey things would happen to her, making it hard to speak. “You’re a very generous and caring person, Kate.”
Great. After all that, she felt gooey anyway. Change of subject. Fast! “You don’t go out much?” She finally braved a glance at him.
He shook his head.
“Not even with friends?”
“I don’t have any out here.”
She ran the dirty casserole dish under the stream of water. “I hadn’t realized.”
Jake shrugged.
“Well, I can think of least one person who’d love to go out with you.”
He gulped. “W-who?”
“I’ll give you a hint. She wears bright red lipstick that’s hard to get off.”
“Oh, God.” He lowered his face into his hands.
Kate grinned. “That’s really sweet.”
“What?”
“The way you are with women. You have—I dunno—there’s kind of an innocence about you.” Finished with the pots, she reached for the coffee and set it up for dessert. “And you wonder why I treat you like a kid.”
“As your boss, I feel I should leave the conversation at that, but as a man, I must say there’s a point where my innocence ends.”
Kate raised her hands in submission. “Whatever you say, Doc.” She turned on the dishwasher. “The boys should be back soon. Do you want to sit by the pool?”
“Sure.”
After grabbing a few bottles of water, they settled into lounge chairs. Damn, why did he have to pick the lounge right next to her? His hand brushed hers as he placed his bottle between them on the patio. Heat radiated up her arm. She jerked it away, staring into the sky. Fluffy pink and lavender clouds. Pretty, but not enough to get her mind off how close Jake was.
“Kate, can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“What’s a MILF?”
She gripped her bottle so hard it nearly burst. He can’t be serious. “You’ve never heard that term before?”
“I have, but I’ve never figured out what it meant.”
Relax, silly, you’re an adult. Stop acting like a shy teenager. “It means mother I’d like to, um…”
He quirked a brow. “Fuck?”
Narrowing her eyes, she studied the grin on his face. “You already knew, didn’t you?”
“I just wanted to see if you’d answer me.”
She unscrewed the bottle cap from her water. “That was a bratty thing to do.”
“Brattiness is for kids.” Jake swung his legs over the edge of the lounge and leaned closer to her. “I told you, there’s a point where the innocence ends.”
Her heart pounded as the sensual waves of desire washed over her. She fought like hell not to dump the contents of her bottle over his head. Or better yet, hers, if only to cool herself down.
“I can see that.” She focused her stare on the sky again. “Kiddo.”
Jake backed away with a sigh.
Crisis averted.
***
“How about cookies?”
Alex shook his head. “Boring.”
“You don’t want cake, you don’t want cookies, and you don’t want doughnuts.” Drew threw his hands in the air. “What’s left?”
“I don’t know. The actors on those soap operas are always eating chocolate candies or chocolate covered strawberries or something.”
“So why can’t we get a chocolate bar?”
“Nah, they eat those little round ones. The ones we don’t like.”
Drew picked up a package of dark chocolate truffles. “Should we get them anyway?”
“Don’t you think Mom will find it odd if we buy something we don’t like?”
“Yeah. Damn, I hate how smart she is.”
“Hey, guys!”
Alex gulped as Jaime Marsh and her younger sister Sammie approached them. Tall, pretty Jaime had the best smile and the shiniest dark brown hair he’d ever seen. His insides twisted every time she looked at him.
His squeaked out “hi” was overshadowed by Drew’s suave, “Ladies, always a pleasure.” He gave a small bow, and the girls giggled.
Where the hell had Drew learned to be so cool around girls? And he was only friggin’ thirteen! Meanwhile, Alex’s tongue felt two sizes too big for his mouth.
“Are you guys enjoying your summer so far? I can’t believe how hot and humid it is,” Jaime said, but her eyes stayed with Alex.
“Pretty good.” He cleared his throat. “We’ve been in the pool a lot.”
“Check this out.” Drew stuck out his leg and ran his finger along the new scar on his shin. “Sixteen stitches.”
Sammie gasped. “You got hurt again?”
“What can I say? I play hard.”
As Alex watched his brother show off his battle scars to the girls, a gloomy knot grew in his gut. If Dad were here, he could teach him how to be charming and confident.
He wished he had someone to talk to, but his friends would tease him unmercifully. Confiding in his mom just made him shudder, and he feared his uncles would still treat him like a little kid.
Coach wouldn’t.
At the thought of their dinner guest, Alex nudged Drew. “We better get moving. Mom’s waiting.”
“We should, too.” Jaime gave Alex a shy smile. “Was good seeing you.”
“Cool. Yeah… cool.” Groan! God, he sucked.
“Jaime, Sammie. I hope we run into you again soon.” Drew offered a wave as they moved toward the register.
Alex waited until they were out of earshot, wanting now to just get home. “So what do we get?”
Drew scanned the store, until eyes locked on the freezers. “How about ice cream?”
“Oh, yeah! For some weird reason, Dad used to love watching Mom lick ice cream cones.” He grabbed a half gallon of vanilla and a box of cones. Maybe he wasn’t the smoothest guy in school, but at least he knew how to plan. “This is going be so cool.”