Page 53 of Mr. Infuriating (Mister #1)

Gretchen

My GPS told me my destination was on the right, and I muttered, “Wow,” out loud when I turned into the drive. “The woodworking business must be good.”

The Cape Cod style house was set far back from the road on what was easily three acres. The house itself wasn’t obscene or ornate, but everything—from the landscaping to the white paint to the wraparound porch—was perfect, like it belonged in a magazine.

I imagined the inside matched the outside and anxiety bubbled up inside me. My two-year-old was, well, two . He could be a walking tornado.

“Jake, Mommy needs you to be a good boy at Mr. Mitchell’s house, okay? No messes, baby.”

He nodded enthusiastically, but I knew that didn’t mean anything.

Why did I agree to this again?

Oh, yeah, I liked flushing the toilet and brushing my teeth with water. Plus, I couldn’t afford a hotel.

And Gabe had insisted.

I put my Honda in park in the circular driveway in front of his house but didn’t shut the engine off as I debated continuing through and heading to my parents. Or maybe Laura’s. My brother probably would make room for us for a few days. Anywhere but here.

Just as I put my foot on the brake and put my hand on the gear shift, I noticed Brittany on the front porch waving like a maniac with a big grin on her face. Her stupid, handsome dad stood behind her with a kind smile.

I waved back at Brittany and turned the car off.

This is such a bad idea.

****

Gabe

Britt bounded down the porch steps and opened the back door of the Honda to unbuckle Jake from his car seat while the little boy let out an excited squeal, “Bit-nee!” as he reached for her with both hands.

Gretchen smiled at the scene while she took a small racecar suitcase, a diaper bag, a satchel, and a weekender bag from her trunk.

I followed my daughter down the stairs and told Gretchen, “Let me take those,” when she shifted the suitcases to try and adjust the diaper bag on her shoulder.

I looked at her bags in my hand and realized, She’s really going to be staying under my roof.

And I didn’t hate the idea. Not in the slightest. In fact, my dick loved it, and sprang to life to let me know how much.

To my surprise, she released the bags without argument and politely told me, “Thanks,” before checking on Jake and Brittany.

“Do you need me to carry him?” she asked Britt.

“No, I’ve got him!” My eleven-year-old beamed as she held Jake on her hip. I knew she liked how grownup she felt being tasked with caring for the little boy .

Which was why I’d easily agreed when she asked if she could stay at my house that night. The idea of another person being there to make it less awkward between Gretchen and me had also held some appeal.

“Maybe Ms. Kelly can even give me a ride to school tomorrow, since we’re going to the same place?”

“Well, I think she has to take Jake to daycare in the morning, so that won’t work. But first, you need to make sure your mom is okay with you staying with me. If she says yes, I’ll take you to school in the morning.”

“Or you could take Jake to daycare and Ms. Kelly can take me to school. That’s more practical.”

“I don’t think Ms. Kelly would be on board with that.”

And neither would I.

Ever since Bodhi’s accident, I rarely let my kids ride with anyone other than me or their mom. And I tried not to transport someone else’s child.

Poor Sienna was still in therapy and would only work jobs that she could do from home. She had her groceries delivered, and I don’t think she’d been on a date in seven years.

I felt real guilt about that.

If Becky wanted to blame me for something about the accident, that’s what it should be about. Her sister was now a recluse, all because I’d asked her to pick up Bodhi.

I’d learned my lesson and wouldn’t make the same mistake again.

As Gretchen followed Brittany up the porch steps, I heard my daughter announce, “I’m staying here tonight, so Jake can sleep in my room if you want.”

“I thought you said I could sleep in your room,” Gretchen teased with a smile.

“That was only if you thought the guest bed was uncomfortable. But since you’ll probably sleep in Dad’s room anyway, it doesn’t matter. His bed is super comfy.”

Gretchen’s hand went to her chest as she started coughing like she had something in her throat. I felt my eyebrows shoot up, and I heard myself loudly ask the little matchmaker, “What did you say?”

My daughter paused with her hand on the screen door handle and looked back at me.

“What? You even say your bed is comfortable!”

“That’s true, but Ms. Kelly isn’t going to be sleeping in it!”

Unfortunately.

Britt pulled the door open, and Gretchen held it for her to walk through while she still held Jake.

She waited until I got inside and had set Gretchen’s bags down before continuing.

“Oh, I just thought you’d insist she stay in your room like Mom does when Grandma and Grandpa come visit.”

Hmm, I wasn’t sure I bought that explanation.

“That’s because your mom only has a blow-up bed when she has company. I have a real bed.”

Actually, two. Four if you counted the pull-out sofa beds in the basement.

I’d never intended to buy a home this big, but it’d checked all the other boxes I’d had. Plus, since it’d been a fixer upper, I’d gotten it for a song.

After letting the kids pick their rooms and converting a bedroom into an office, having two extra bedrooms hadn’t been a deal breaker.

The housekeeper liked that she could charge me for the square footage without having to clean all of it regularly.

She was finally going to earn her money this week.

“Yeah, but Uncle Derrick said it’s not very comfortable.”

Uncle Derrick had been drunk.

“My college buddies didn’t have any complaints last summer.”

Britt shrugged. “You also said they sleep on the ground in sleeping bags like animals.” She looked at Gretchen. “Do you use a cot when you go camping?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever been.”

“You’ve never been camping?”

My daughter took the words right out of my mouth.

Gretchen shook her head.

“No. We’d stay at my grandparents’ cottage on the Cape in the summers when I was a kid but never camped.”

“Oh, you’ve got to go with us this summer. Dad has more camping equipment than anyone. It’s like having a home away from home in the middle of the wilderness. Right, Dad?”

I offered an embarrassed smile.

“The perks of having a corporate job with Adventure Gear Sporting Goods before starting my own business.”

That seemed to intrigue Gretchen, although I noticed she didn’t say anything about camping.

“You were in the corporate world?”

“I started with Adventure Gear when I was a junior in high school. Once I graduated college with a business major, I moved up through the ranks pretty quickly. When Frank’s bought the company four years ago, I took the offered buyout and, with the help of my older brother, turned my side business into a fulltime one. ”

“Wow, I had no idea you once had a desk job. Do you miss it?”

“God, no. Leaving Corporate America was the best decision I’ve ever made.” I ruffled Brittany’s hair. “Other than having my kiddos, of course.”

Britt rolled her eyes, “Oh, Dad,” then told Jake, “Come on, let’s go find some toys to play with,” and took the little boy toward the family room.

Gretchen met my gaze.

“She’s so sweet.”

“She loves taking care of Jake. She said he reminds her of Bodhi.”

“I’ll bet she was a great big sister.”

Maybe she could be again.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Where the fuck did that come from?

Was I being disloyal to Bodhi for thinking that? Was I trying to replace him with Jake?

With a forced smile, I replied, “She really was.”

Gretchen must have sensed my uneasiness because she cocked her head and asked, “Are you sure you’re okay with us staying here?”

I took a cleansing breath in through my nose and thought back to the conversation I’d had with Bodhi at the cemetery earlier this week. A sense of peace flowed through me, and I told her unequivocally, “Absolutely. I’m happy you’re here. Let me show you the guest room.”