“I’m sorry if I did. Or is it the omelet? You hate them, don’t you?”
She shook her head. “It’s just”—she dragged her eyes to his—“I’ve never had the luxury of being choosy about food.”
He blinked as some kind of understanding switched on inside him. “Oh, crap, I didn’t even—wow, you must think I’m the most spoiled idiot that ever came out of Snotsdale. Please forgive me.”
“It’s okay.” Trying to make light of the situation, she added, “Just remember I’m a single mom in college. We even eat ramen noodles.”
“I love that stuff.”
“Ah, but I eat it only when I have to.” She picked up her plate and took a bite. The omelet had cheese and onion and was probably the most delicious she’d ever eaten.
“So what’s the story on the syrup?” he asked a bit tentatively. “It must be pretty bad.”
She swallowed her bite of egg. “I just ate a lot of it once right after my mother died. It reminds me of a time in my childhood I’d rather forget.” The memories poured over her anyway, sticking to her like the syrup she detested. Her mother several weeks dead, and all the food the neighbors had brought long eaten. Only two bottles of syrup in the pantry. She’d survived off those bottles for days, hiding them under her bed, until her father finally saw through his own grief and began bringing food home again. She hadn’t really been close to starvation, not compared to what came later, but it was the first time she’d been completely forgotten. The first of many. Unfortunately, it hadn’t been the last time she’d survived on syrup.
“I can understand why you hate it then. I’m really sorry.”
She was glad he didn’t regale her with a time he’d overindulged on a certain food because it wasn’t that simple and it certainly wouldn’t make her feel any better.
“Hey, I hope you don’t mind that I got out this mattress,” Harrison said. “I figured you kept it here for visitors.”
“Actually, it’s Nate’s, but he hates sleeping alone, and it just got in the way in the bedroom. Maybe he’ll use it when he gets a bit older.”
“Man, I probably shouldn’t say this, but I am really envious of that kid about now.”
She flushed and looked away.
The flirt.
But it was fun and she didn’t feel in the least threatened.
They were quiet as they ate, a comfortable silence, and she had almost finished when Harrison said, “So, do you really feel better?”
“I do.” Especially now that she had something in her stomach. “I’ll take it easy the rest of the day, but I’m sure I’ll be able to go into school and work tomorrow.” She wondered if there was any way she could ask him to stay with her today. No, that couldn’t happen. She had to track down Lenny.
“Look, I wasn’t going to ask . . .” He trailed off before trying again. “You see, there’s this dinner we always have at my mother’s. Used to be every Sunday, but now that the girls are married, we only meet the second Sunday of every month. I know it’s selfish of me to want you to come when you’ve been sick, but if you feel up to it, I’d love for you to go today. You wouldn’t have to work. Just sit there and be served.” He held up a hand. “No, forget it. You rest today, and I’ll ask you next time.”
He was asking her to meet his parents. Makay could hardly believe the implications, especially the way she’d wigged out over his food comment. “Your stepfather will be there?”
He nodded. “Yeah, and I guarantee you one of the primary discussions will be about air conditioners and the weather. That is second only to their other favorite topic of my dating life. Or at least it was before I moved to LA. I only go because my mother’s a great cook. Well, and I like my sisters.”
“So you want me to protect you.” A smile tugged at her mouth.
“Would you?” He looked at her sheepishly, his eyes digging tracks into her soul. He hesitated a second before saying, “Actually, I just don’t want to say goodbye.”
She knew exactly what he meant. They enjoyed many of the same things, they never seemed to run out of conversation, and their attraction to each other was so far beyond normal that she felt ready to burst into flame every time he touched her. He was good with Nate and had taken care of her when she needed him. Most of all, he seemed to fill a part of her life that had been empty before. There was still much to talk about and to share, especially about her past, but she believed he’d understand and accept. She
had
to believe that, if any of what she felt for him was real. Maybe he’d even understand about Lenny.
No, Lenny is going away. I won’t let him ruin this for me.
Harrison made a clicking noise in his throat. “Ah, I told myself not to rush things, but I just can’t seem to help it where you’re concerned.”
“It’s okay. I’d love to go. But what about Nate?”
“He’ll come, too, of course. My mother will enjoy having him.”
Makay moved toward Harrison at the same time he reached for her. They began kissing, her body on fire and her desire so deep that she hardly knew what to do with herself. She lay back on the mattress and he came with her, kissing her eyes, cheeks, mouth, and throat. She wrapped one leg around his, drawing him closer. “You are
so
going to get sick,” she murmured.
“Then maybe you’ll come and take care of me.” His lips met hers again, and the fingers of his hand pushed through her hair as she arched toward him.
He felt so good, almost a part of her, that it was frightening. If things didn’t work out, where would she go with the realization that she wasn’t complete after all? One thing she was sure of, everything between them was speeding forward and if she didn’t stop it soon, there might be no going back.
On the couch next to them, Nate stirred and they froze. Harrison rolled away from her. “Sorry,” he whispered. “I forgot.”
So had she. “It’s okay.”
He shook his head. “No, it’s not okay.” He took her hand. “Makayla, I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize this relationship. I know you haven’t had an easy life, and taking care of Nate has to be your first responsibility. Maybe we need to slow things down.”
“Is that a polite way of uninviting me to your family dinner?” She couldn’t help the chill in her voice, even though she’d been thinking similar thoughts.
“No way. You promised.” He tilted his head to look at her.
Either he wasn’t really all that attracted to her, or he was reading her too well. But not everyone was a liar, and she chose to believe him. With a glance at the still-sleeping Nate, she pushed Harrison on his back and snuggled up to him, placing her head on his shoulder. “Okay, I’ll go to your dinner. But if you think I’m doing these breakfast dishes alone because you cooked, you better think again.”
Nate stirred again, and this time he opened his eyes. Makay sat up, easing away from Harrison. “Hey, sleepyhead. Did you stay up too late last night?”
Nate grinned. “We watched movies.” He slipped off the couch and into her lap, peering around her at Harrison. “It was fun,” he added shyly.
“It sure was.” Harrison grabbed their plates and jumped to his feet. “You hungry? We saved you some breakfast.”
As Nate nodded, Makay reached out to grab the last of the omelet from her plate in Harrison’s hand. “Hey, I wasn’t done with that.”
Harrison grinned. “Good.”
She watched him go as she took another bite. “Want a taste?” she asked Nate.
“No. He’s getting me some.”
Makay snuggled her face into his neck, belatedly worrying about his health. If she’d been in her right mind, she’d have remembered that cuddling up to Nate in the middle of the night wasn’t the best idea.
“I like him,” Nate said.
“I do, too.”
He grinned and turned to whisper in her ear. “I know. I saw you kissing.” He giggled. She took that as her cue to tickle him, and they were rolling on the mattress when Harrison returned with more plates. One with omelet and the other with a huge mess of apple crisp and three forks.
He handed the omelet to Nate. “Hope you like it.”
“I do!” Nate dug into it with stars in his eyes, and Makay felt a tremor of trepidation. It was one thing to worry about getting hurt herself, but far worse to get Nate’s hopes up that he’d finally have a man in his life.
I have to be careful.
No matter what her heart was telling her about Harrison, she needed to be careful. She also needed to take care of business with Lenny so she wouldn’t have that threat looming over her.
Even with the decision to take it slow, they’d eaten the apple crisp, washed the dishes, and watched another video before she was ready to let Harrison go. Nate apparently felt the same way. “Wait,” he said, running to the door after Harrison. “Did you mean it about the picnic? Are we still going?”
“Yes.” Harrison put a hand on Nate’s shoulder. “But not today.”
Nate’s face drooped. “Oh.”
“Because you’re coming to my house to eat dinner with my family,” Harrison added, darting a quick glance at Makay. “Right?”
She nodded, unable to speak as she watched her little brother’s huge smile return to his face.
“Oh, boy. Oh, boy!” he said. “Do you have a swimming pool?”
“Well, I do but it’s not exactly my house—it’s the house I grew up in. And we won’t be swimming today, but they have a pool table we can use.”
“I love pool!” Nate said. “Except I’m not very good at it.”
“I’ll teach you.” Harrison again met Makay’s eyes. “And you, too, if you want.”
She smiled. “Maybe I’ll teach you.”
“Maybe. Keep in mind, I am the neighborhood champion. By the way, we eat at six. What time should I pick you up?”
Makay bit her lip. All at once she hated the idea of going to a place she didn’t know and having to eat with strangers. No way did she want to get stuck there if things went poorly. “Can I meet you there? I have a couple errands to run.”
“Sure. But don’t forget to rest up. I want some competition at pool tonight.”
He was being nice about it, but the deepening line on his forehead told her he was puzzled at her request, and she was glad he didn’t question her reasons to drive. Even so, an awkwardness fell between them. She wanted to push it away, to call back the mood that had existed before, but she didn’t know how. Tessa would probably bring up some psycho mumbo jumbo about her being trapped as a child so she wanted to leave herself a backdoor.
Well, so what?
“I’ll see you at six,” she said. “At least, if I find my car key.”
He laughed. “I found it earlier on the floor in the kitchen. I put it by the toaster.”
“Oh, thanks.” As he started to leave, she added, “What do we wear?”
“Anything really.”
“A swimming suit?” asked Nate, giving a little hop.
“Nate,” Makay said.
Harrison laughed. “As much as I’d like to see that, something a little more conservative might be better. My parents are usually dressed up a bit, so I try not to wear jeans. Tianna wears them, though. She’s the youngest, so she gets away with a lot. Honestly, as long as you come, I don’t care what you’re wearing.” His gaze intensified. “In fact, I think you look great right now.”
Makay pulled her sweatshirt up over her shoulder where it had slipped down to reveal her black tank top, feeling slightly embarrassed. Was she even wearing a bra? She couldn’t remember, and she wasn’t about to take a peek.
Harrison drew out his phone. “I’ll text you the address.”
They said goodbye again and Harrison left. Makay had to force herself to shut the door and not watch him leave.
Sheesh, like a stupid, lovesick teenager,
she thought. Yet she had never felt like this in high school. Back then she’d had survival on her mind, which was far more important than guys. Her first time in college, she’d tried dating but it was hard to do lugging a baby around, and leaving Nate with Fern could be frightening.
The doorbell rang almost as soon as she’d shut it, and she answered, expecting to see Harrison. Instead, it was Sally, an elderly woman who lived on the floor above them. She used a cane and wore the thickest glasses Makay had ever seen. Her frame in the pink robe was tiny, but she carried enough weight on her body to make her face and arms look swollen. She was so pale, even down to her light brown age spots, that Makay might have thought her an albino, except for the green eyes, which were magnified disturbingly by the thick glasses.
“Oh, Sally, I’m sorry!” Makay said, opening the door wider. “I didn’t come last night because I was really sick.”
Sally looked upward at her, which appeared painful as the woman’s head and neck jutted forward, angling awkwardly from her hunched shoulders. “What? Speak up, child. I can’t hear you,” she said in a loud voice.
“I was sick,” Makay repeated more loudly.
“Oh, I see. You feeling better now?”
“Yes, much.”
“Good. Good. Can I look at what you got this week?”
Makay took her into the kitchen and opened a cupboard. “I got some of that mouthwash you like. And some tuna.” She took out a plastic bag. “How many do you need?”
“My son’s coming to see me next week, you know.” Hope sparkled from Sally’s magnified eyes.
“Good.” Makay’s throat felt tight. Sally always said this, but no one had ever seen her son visit.
“He’ll probably take me out to a restaurant, so I’ll be needing a bit less from you next week. I hope that’s okay.”
“Yeah. It’s okay.” Makay began placing tuna cans in the bag as Sally twisted her face upward to better see the selection.
“How about some of those canned peaches. They’re my favorite.”
Makay reached for the peaches. “I saved them just for you.”
“What about chili?” Nate called from the living room. “We got more chili.”
“No chili,” Sally said. “It makes me fart.”
Nate fell to the couch laughing, which, of course, was the reason he’d asked the question. Sally’s answer was always the same.
Holding in a smile, Makay offered Sally some denture whitener. By the time Sally was finished, Makay had filled nearly the entire bag and divided it into another one so the plastic wouldn’t break under the weight.
“Thanks, dear,” Sally said. “Just put it on my tab, okay?”
Makay nodded. “Sure thing.”
“Come on. Let me see you do it,” the frail woman boomed imperatively. “I always pay my debts.”