Page 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Kassandra

It was déjà vu.

Well, almost.

I was once again in my bathroom in the morning swiping on lip gloss and mascara, but unlike yesterday, I wasn't running late. I made sure to add an extra fifteen minutes to my morning routine to make up for the fact that despite telling myself not to do it, I was trying to impress David.

It was silly. He already admitted Michael was stupid for stepping out on me, that I was beautiful without all the fanfare. Yet somehow I felt the need to compete with the dozens of women he’d had on his arm over the years.

It was ignorant and completely unnecessary but my heart refused to listen to my head, so at the moment, I was going with it.

I ran my hands down the navy pencil skirt. It fit me like a glove and paired nicely with the sheer white blouse I tucked in. A camisole underneath kept my bra from showing and I liked that the thin lines running throughout the blouse matched the navy in my skirt. This was one of my favorite outfits because I knew how good it made me look, despite my age and the fact that I had two children. My forties were good to me, but the closer I pushed to fifty, the less confident I felt. An outfit like this helped boost my self-esteem.

I took one more look at myself in the mirror before grabbing a pair of heels and heading downstairs. Today was nothing like my previous morning. I walked down the steps with much more confidence, and I didn't need to worry about killing myself on the hardwood floor.

The smell of French toast and fresh brewed coffee hit my senses before I fully made it down the stairs. Like a hound on the hunt, I let my nose guide me straight into the kitchen.

Once again Mikey and Nate were at the table, scarfing down breakfast. This was two mornings in a row I didn't need to rush them along and it made me wonder what kind of magic David wielded.

"Good morning," David greeted me with a smile.

"Morning." I returned his smile and headed straight for the coffee maker. Yesterday I missed out on my morning routine, but today I wouldn't be denied. I closed my eyes and moaned when the aroma hit my taste buds for the first time of the day. There was nothing better than that first hit of coffee.

Except maybe an orgasm to start the day, but I wouldn't know anything about that.

When I finally popped my eyes back open, I was met by a set of lustful hazel ones. I swallowed hard. It was one thing to dream about that look. It was an entirely different thing to experience it.

"Are you always that happy about coffee?" David whispered.

I glanced to where my sons were sitting at the table but neither was paying attention to us. They were too busy shoveling food in their mouths and scrolling through their phones.

My body temperature was suddenly a few degrees hotter than normal and I was sure my face reflected the change as I tried to nod yes.

"Those sounds should be illegal outside of the bedroom." David winked.

I, on the other hand, choked. On air? Spit? God only knows. If my face wasn't red before, it was now as I tried to get my breathing under control.

"Mom, are you okay?" Mikey raced to my side. I tried to wave him off, and Nate as well, when he joined, but all three men stood around me just staring. My boys with concern in their eyes, but David’s eyes twinkled like he knew exactly what caused my coughing fit.

"I'm good." I managed to get the two words out on a croak. Two hard thumps on my chest were all it took for me to feel confident I wasn't lying.

"What happened?" The concern on Nate's face didn't disappear.

"Wrong pipe," I tried to explain without meeting anyone's eyes. It was obvious David knew differently but my kids weren't used to playful banter amongst the adults in the house. They were lucky if Michael and I spoke at all.

"Are you sure you're good?" I glanced up and met Mikey's skeptical glare. He was glancing back and forth between David and me.

I needed to take the attention off of us. "Yes, I promise I'm good." I looked at the clock on the stove. "You better hurry up and finish breakfast. I don't want you to be late."

"I was done anyway." Both Mikey and Nate grabbed their plates off the table and cleaned up before giving me a kiss goodbye. I didn't bother following them outside. My feet were too busy being rooted to their spot.

David was kind enough to wait until we heard Mikey's car pull away before he spoke. "So about those moans . . ."

I smacked his chest even though he chuckled. "You can't say that stuff in front of my kids."

David frowned. "Why not?" I didn't have to answer though. He put two and two together, then cursed under his breath. "They aren't used to seeing this kind of interaction between you and Michael."

"Michael and I barely spoke. When we did it was to fight or throw snide comments at the other. I did my best to keep that away from Mikey and Nate but the tension was always there. They had no grand illusion that their parents loved each other, so it's safe to say they never witnessed us teasing the other."

"Maybe they should," David grumbled. "How else do you expect them to know what a healthy relationship looks like?"

His question almost took me out at the knees, and I had to force myself to stay upright. I was proud when my response sounded normal to my ears. "I should get going. I don't want to be late for work."

David looked disappointed, but instead of calling me out on my escape, he offered to pack my breakfast up to go.

I took the reprieve and used the opportunity to rush out to my vehicle. I didn't make a habit of tucking my tail between my legs but this morning it felt necessary. I was feeling vulnerable and I needed time to regroup.

Minutes later, David brought a lunch bag out, but gone was his usual confidence. He looked almost shy when he handed the pail over to me through the open window. "I'm sorry if I overstepped. That wasn't my intention."

"You didn't," I sighed. "I'm just a little overwhelmed and confused at the moment."

"Then I'm sorry I added to it." He tapped twice on my door before turning around and heading straight back inside.

If I was smart, I would've followed him and explained further. However, I let my anxieties take hold and drove off to work instead.

The day flew by. Probably because I purposely kept myself busy so that I wouldn't think about David and the dejected look on his face when he walked back into the house that morning. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt him more than I already had over the years. He was here to help me, but I didn't know what to make of his comment.

I liked him. That feeling never went away. What I didn't understand was, did he feel the same way or was it merely physical attraction?

I could handle feelings.

I couldn't handle a romp in the sheets that didn't lead to anything.

Sex had to mean something to me. There needed to be an emotional connection between the two participants. I would never survive if I had sex with David and then he walked away.

This is the exact reason I wanted to be busy all day . I groaned and chided myself. Thankfully, my phone chose that moment to ring.

The relief I felt only lasted a second though when I saw the caller was Mikey. He never called me after school unless something important came up.

"Hey, is everything okay?"

I face-palmed my forehead. There was nothing subtle or calm about my question.

"Ummm. Not really. A guy approached me in the parking lot after school while I was waiting for Nate to come out. He gave me an envelope to give to you and said if you didn't want to lose more of your family, you would take it seriously." Mikey's voice sounded much calmer than I'm sure he felt. My son was extremely overprotective of his brother and me. "He looked really shady, Mom."

"Is Nate with you now?"

"Uh yeah, he's walking across the parking lot now. I can see him. He'll be at the car in like three seconds."

"I want you to head straight home and tell David exactly what you told me. Don't stop anywhere. Don't speak to anyone else. Straight home. I'm leaving the office now. I'll meet you there."

I fumbled to pull my purse out of the bottom drawer of my desk.

"Mom, what's going on?"

"I'll explain everything when I get home, but I need you to do as I ask. I'll text David and let him know he needs to be there, okay?"

"Yeah, I got it. I'll head straight home and tell David what happened. I love you."

"I love you too, Mikey. Tell Nate I love him and I'll see you both soon."

I shot off a text to David, then grabbed my keys and purse before I raced out of my office. My work could wait. My family couldn't.