“First of all, it’s a SUV. Secondly, I don’t drive that; my wife does, asshole. Listen, what are you doing tonight? I haven’t left the office to head home yet. Wanna grab a beer?”
“I’d love to, man, but I’m still … somewhere north. It’s a long story, but the rain fucked up my trip back home. I’m stuck at some inn until tomorrow when hopefully they open this damn bridge again. Why the hell are you working so late anyway? Need a new coat of fresh, white paint on the picket fence?” It was my turn to laugh at my own joke.
“You’re a funny, funny man, Brody Murphy, but no. Someone needs to keep an eye on your contracts and deal with all the drama you bring. Try not to burn down this inn you’re staying at, huh?”
“Got it, boss. Talk to you soon.”
I hung up the phone and looked over at Diesel. “Ready for some food, my man?”
After dinner, Mom bathed the girls for me while I cleaned up the kitchen. The guests succumbed to their food comas and retired to their rooms for the night, everyone except Ashley. She was sitting on the couch with Fred, who was watching the news closely. She looked bored out of her mind, picking at her fake fingernails and yawning. I was sure she was waiting around for Brody, who mentioned going to take a shower.
“How’s it looking?” One simple sentence in Brody’s husky, baritone voice as he entered the room sent shivers through my entire body.
Ashley perked up from her intense session of hair twirling and beamed at Brody. She really was quite pretty and it pissed me off. She’d look great on Brody’s arm, I thought, letting out a heavy sigh.
“Not good, not good at all,” Fred answered, running his hands through his salt and pepper hair and getting up from the couch. “Okay, you crazy kids, I’m off to bed. Gotta get up early and make sure the inn didn’t float away.”
Out the back door he went, making his way to his cozy apartment above the garage. I had been in it quite a few times. It smelled of cigars and was full of hot rod memorabilia. It was a comfortable place that fit Fred perfectly. I loved having him there.
“Wanna watch a movie, when she’s done?” I heard Ashley whisper not-so-quietly to Brody. I was instantly annoyed that I felt like a nuisance in my own home as I started rinsing the dishes and loading them into the dishwasher faster. The last thing I wanted to see was the two of them all snuggled up on the couch, watching TV together.
“We’ll see, I’m pretty tired after today.” Brody smiled politely at her.
I looked up and saw her make that awful pouty face again. Someone should really tell her how unattractive she looked when she did that.
“Awww, come on. I’m not sleepy yet.” She whined like a child.
“Sorry, Ashley. My girlfriend probably wouldn’t be too happy with me spending the evening shacked up on the couch with a stranger either.” He patted her on the shoulder and walked over, rifling through his duffel bag.
Girlfriend? He has a girlfriend? Bummer.
I wasn’t really shocked though. He seemed charming and charismatic with the most infectious smile I had ever seen, not to mention hot as hell. I was immediately drawn to him, it’s no surprise that others were as well.
“Mom, will you read us a bedtime story?” Lucy came into the kitchen, snapping me out of my thoughts. She was wearing her favorite Strawberry Shortcake pajamas and had an armful of books.
“I want Pinkalicious,” pleaded Piper, following right behind her.
“Sure, I just have to finish the kitchen real quick,” I answered, rinsing out the big chili pot.
“No! I want If You Give A Moose A Muffin,” whined Lucy.
Piper squeezed her little hands into fists and tensed her arms down at her sides, ready for an argument, but I stepped in.
“Ok, I’ll finish this later. How about we read both?” I tossed my sponge in the sink and turned to the girls, desperate to diffuse the potential argument in front of Ashley and Brody.
I heard Ashley giggle from the couch, and I had to fight the urge to snatch the book out of Piper’s hand and whip it at Ashley’s forehead like a Frisbee.
“Yay!” Lucy and Piper both cheered, as we turned down the hall toward their bedroom.
About an hour later, I woke up in Lucy’s bed with the girls snuggled up on either side of me, sound asleep. Their favorite book, Pinkalicious, was open and laying on my chest. We were all so warm and toasty, I was tempted to pull the blanket up and go to sleep right there with them. Remembering the mess I’d left in the kitchen, I forced myself out of her bed, tucking them in on my way out.
I walked to the end of the hall, turned toward the kitchen and stopped in my tracks. Not only was the dishwasher running, but the counters were clear, the table had been wiped down and all the leftovers had been put away. Alexa’s flowers were sitting perfectly in the center of the island. I looked around and the only person left downstairs was Brody, who was sitting on the living room couch watching SportsCenter.