Page 12

Chapter eleven

Anna

C hris’s sister is an unending source of stories told with sweeping hand motions and vivid descriptions. I want to listen to her all night but I’m stifling yawns every ten seconds. How on earth did this woman fly around the world and somehow reserve the energy to entertain us? The warmth of the gas fireplace and the press of Chris’s thigh against mine as I lean against him on a loveseat lulls my eyelids closed. Empty wine glasses, the bottoms stained red, litter the heavy oak coffee table. It’s one of those cozy spaces that you wouldn’t be afraid to bring your popcorn into. I catch Chris’s eye and he nods, seeing how tired I am.

He slaps his thighs and hauls himself off the plush couch. “We’ve got to get out of here.”

Crossing the room, his sister hugs him and he lifts her slightly off the ground. “Welcome home, Caro.”

Chris’s mom disappears into the kitchen with the dirty glasses before hurrying back for goodbyes.

“Talk about good timing coming home and getting to meet my big brother’s girlfriend,” Carolina says to me.

Girlfriend?

I glance up to Chris, cheeks turning pink and staying that way when he doesn’t correct her. I mean, that’s probably what his parents think too, even though he simply introduced me by name.

“Dad, will you put my bag in my room for me?”

She turns to me again. “I have so much laundry to do.”

“I bet. I have no idea how you lived out of a backpack for so long.”

Ted picks up her huge bag but doesn’t seem to know what to do next.

“Carolina,” Ted says.

She looks up at him.

“Your room is now my office,” Sam says.

Her delivery is not at all that delicate. I’ve had enough of my own mother-daughter conflict. I don’t need to witness someone else’s .

“Where am I supposed to stay?”

I try not to listen to anymore of the conversation as I hastily slip on my shoes and escape into the cool night.

***

“When you said you had a sister that was travelling…I didn’t think you meant for three years!”

Chris scratches the back of his neck as he drives, muscles bunching beneath the collar of his sweater.

“Yeah, it’s a bit of a sore spot for my mom. We didn’t expect her to be gone so long and not come home to visit.”

I feel kind of itchy.

Chris continues, “Who the hell leaves their family and doesn’t come back to visit?”

My cheeks burn in the dark of the Jeep.

“Not everyone has the perfect relationship with their family.”

Chris scoffs, blowing over what I’m saying.

“I haven’t been home in a long time…”

“Three years though?”

I swallow. “Longer.”

We’re heading to grab an ice cream but the vibe in the Jeep is tense. Dessert is the last thing I need.

“I guess I can’t imagine that. ”

“Good for you.” The sarcastic tone in my voice is biting.

Chris is obviously the golden child in his family, just like Thad’s sons were in mine.

I sigh, the sound swallowed up by the noise of the Jeep tired. “Just take me home, please.”

“Anna, I didn’t mean to judge you. My sister and mom had a tricky relationship growing up--”

“Maybe you should try to look at it from her perspective.”

I’m projecting. Hard. At least Caro was welcomed home with a nice supper and a glass of wine. What would my family's reaction be if I walked in unannounced? Worse. Way worse.

“I’ve supported my sister. I’ve sent her money.”

“Money isn’t the same as support.”

Chris drums his fingers on the steering wheel.

“My house. Please.”

“Okay, Annie.” His voice is soft, apologetic.

We pull up out front a few minutes later.

“Can I walk you in?” Chris asks.

“No, thanks. I’m tired. I’m going to try to sleep in and then I have some paperwork to get done in the afternoon.”

“I get it.” he says, hands fisted in his lap. “Actually, I don’t get it, but I want to. And it’s important to me that you get the rest and space that you need. ”

His words leave me speechless. Even if he can’t relate to my relationship with my family, he’s heard what I’ve said and respects it.

I reach out to stroke my hand along the back of his neck. The hairs I’d shaved smooth already regrowing. His shoulders fall away from his ears, and he draws a deep breath. My mom’s message sits unanswered in my phone and I’m not sure if the interactions between Chris’s sister and Mom make me want to call her less or more. His understanding is a relief. I’m not ready for whatever is starting between Chris and me to be derailed by a bit of tension.

“Can I take you out next week?”

I nod, biting my bottom lip.

“Perfect.”

He combs his hand through the side of my hair and plants a warm kiss on my lips. It’s not lost on me that for the second time today, he’s calmed me with a kiss. When I relax and begin exploring the seam of his mouth with my tongue he groans and pulls away, so our foreheads are pressed together.

“Slow, Annie. Remember?”

My head bobs up and down. “Right. Slow.”

His voice is a low whisper. “Go upstairs before we change our minds. ”

I press my thighs together at the thought. What if he marched me up to my place and we got naked? Shaking my head to come back to reality, I leave the Jeep on wobbly legs and wonder how the hell I had the willpower to say goodnight.

***

The heavy velvet curtain that separates my little office and storage room from the customer areas of the salon swooshes behind me.

“Has my 2 o’clock checked in yet?” I ask, not looking away from my laptop screen where I’m rushing to finish an order between clients.

“Beats me.”

I gasp at the unexpected and absolutely non-feminine voice, twisting toward the entrance and nearly falling off my wobbly rolling desk chair. Chris leans against the frame, the velvet behind him like a backdrop. He’s looking delicious in a long-sleeved tee with the cuffs pushed up around his forearms and athletic shorts that are, quite honestly, shorter than I knew I was into.

“Whoa, careful. Don’t fall off that chair, too.”

I shake my head at him.

“You can’t be back here!” I hiss .

His eyes crinkle with amusement. “So weird. Because I literally am back here.”

“You know what I mean,” I say, rolling my eyes.

“Annie, are you gonna report me to the owner?”

Chris leans over me, bracing himself on the arms of my office chair. The plastic creaks under his weight and I’m surrounded by his muscular upper body, his heat, his smell. He brushes the corner of my lips with his and I barely suppress a squeak. I’ve missed him more than I’ve cared to admit. I appreciate that he gave me some space when I asked for it, but his skin against mine is exactly what I need.

“You want to go out with me later?” He presses another simple, soft kiss to my lips.

Later? Let’s worry about the here and now, I think.

“What, uh…what did you have in mind?” I ask, having a hard time looking away from his mouth.

I’m already mentally scanning my closet and thinking of the handful of oceanside restaurants where we could eat. Nestling into a booth, watching the sun set over the harbour. I’ll need a shower after work and, oh, I can wear those new drop earrings with the imperfect pearls.

“Hiking.”

The sound of romantic dinner music scratches to a stop. My eyes snap off his mouth and up to his amused gaze .

“Hiking?”

Historically, my experience with hiking ends with carrying a cooler and umbrella down to the beach. After Chris’s dad brought it up, I shouldn’t be surprised.

“Yeah. Nothing too strenuous. What time are you off today?”

Today? Can’t he give me a couple weeks so I can do a 1980’s action movie-inspired montage of training for the big fight? I have an oceanside to run along in slow-mo. There’s no doubt in my mind that Chris and I have a very different idea of what strenuous means.

Something about the puppy dog eyes he’s giving makes me overestimate my abilities.

“Yeah, I mean, I’m in need of some new rocks, so…”

His smirk of a smile makes me melt.

“Four. I’m done at four—”

He cuts me off with a kiss that makes the last one look like something fit for the bingo hall. It’s like he knows I have a client coming in at any moment and that there’s no time for preamble. Parting my lips for him, he slides his tongue against mine and I melt a little deeper into my chair. His strong hand slips around the back of my head to support me, to keep me close. Sounds of chatter and whirring hot tools fade as my heart hammers in my ears. When I remember I have hands, I skate them up his chest, relishing the firm muscle beneath his shirt and cupping his cheeks in my palms. The slight stubble makes me want to nuzzle up against him, to feel it scrape along my throat and, I moan, my inner thighs squeezing. Chris breaks the kiss but I still have my hands on either side of his jaw, so he doesn’t go far. The air of my office feels cold against my damp lips.

“I’ll see you at four, okay?”

I nod up at him and he covers my hands with his, squeezing them gently before guiding them off, bringing them together, and kissing the back of each one. I have no muscles at the moment so it will be very interesting to see how hiking works.

“Bye,” I rasp, allowing myself to be completely disarmed by this man before I have to go back into boss babe mode.

He winks, ‘cause of course he does, then disappears behind the curtain. It’s really too bad because all I want is an encore.