I stood there for a second, staring at the open door before shrugging and walking inside. I assumed that he had left the door open to invite me in. I took a few steps inside and turned, closing the door. I looked around the room, trying to piece together a bit more about Josie. The place was small but cozy, and I could tell it had something of a woman’s touch. The couch was new, the television was relatively new, and the computer on the desk in the back corner had all the bells and whistles. As far as aesthetics, the floors were clean, but I could tell the carpet had been there a long time. To the right was a doorway into the kitchen, and I could see the off-white and gold tile on the edges. There was definitely some seventies influence in everything, and I assumed the large gold painted frame holding a velvet picture of Elvis was Carl’s influence, more than it was hers.
In all reality, I didn’t care what the place looked like as long as Josie was here, safe, and happy to see me. I knew I was probably intruding, not having called or texted before I just showed up. My mother had always taught me not to do that, but I didn’t really think about it until I had pulled up out front. Her father walked back out but didn’t even look at me. He sat down at the old desk and waved the mouse around on the surface. On the screen was some sort of online poker game, and he looked pretty gruff. I could hear the fake shuffle of the cards, and then I jumped. Her old man let out a loud growl and a few choice curse words at the screen, and I assumed that he had found himself with a bad hand. I never quite understood how the online poker thing worked, but I knew that if I were going to play a game, I much preferred the casino. Maybe, if Josie and I saw each other more than once, I could take her father out to the casinos, and we could have a little bonding time. I still wasn’t sure how all that worked, since I had stayed relatively single for many years now.
I stood listening to the ticking of a clock that I couldn’t seem to find on any of the walls. The house smelled like a fresh shower and leftover breakfast, what I assumed most houses smelled like. I usually picked my breakfast up and rarely cooked at my place, but I could still remember what my house smelled like as a child when my mother would wake up early and cook us all breakfast. She loved cooking bacon, and we definitely loved eating it. I wondered many years later if it was because that was all she knew how to make.
I looked up out of my daze to see Josie walk around the corner. She was clutching a furry pink robe closed in front of her that had seen better days. On her feet, she wore matching fuzzy slippers, and the rose color matched her cheeks. Her hair was dripping wet, and she wasn’t wearing a stitch of makeup. I assumed I had pulled her from her shower, and I realized
maybe I should have called, after all. Then I wouldn’t have gotten to see her in her all-natural state, which was beyond breathtaking. She looked absolutely amazing, even more amazing than she did all done up at the bar the night before. She smiled at me and slapped her dad on the shoulder as she walked forward.
“Hey,” she said, confused. “It’s good to see you. Did I leave something in your car last night?”
“No,” I said, laughing. “I came to check on you. I figured with as much as you had to drink last night, you might feel pretty hungover.”
A smile spread across Josie’s face when she realized I wasn’t there for any reason other than to see her. She pulled her robe a little tighter and glanced back at her father, obviously not wanting to be too candid in front of him. I still couldn’t believe just how gorgeous this girl was in her all-natural state.
“Oh,” she said, laughing. “Yeah, I was hurting pretty good this morning. I couldn’t even remember what I had drunk, but my mouth tasted like juice and gummy bears, so I’m assuming the girls went shooter crazy. Nothing a few aspirin and some serious amounts of water couldn’t cure.”
“You know what my secret cure always was?”
She walked forward as if I was going to release a huge, hidden secret. “What?”
“A big, greasy breakfast,” I replied. “There is a place not too far from here if you would let me take you.”
She looked at me for a second, her eyes glimmering brightly. I could tell she either didn’t completely trust the situation, or she didn’t trust herself, but either way, my easy stance and charming smile would do the trick. I reached over and plucked a piece of lint from her robe and smiled as she blushed.
“Unless you’ve already eaten,” I said, looking over at the kitchen.
“No, I cooked my dad breakfast, but at the time, I wasn’t hungry.”
“So,” I said, stepping forward again. “What do you say? Let me take you out to breakfast.”
“Okay,” she replied. “Let me change out of this robe and throw my hair up, and we can go. You can sit down if you like. Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be out in a jiffy.”
She turned and walked back toward the bathroom, and I let out a deep sigh, happy that I was going to get to spend some time with her. Was it strange that I was feeling just as excited as she was? This might be a bad thing for my normal routine with women, but at that moment, I just didn’t care.
Chapter 4
Josie
My morning started with the spins, a super headache from hell, and a serious mental beatdown for my lack of responsibility the night before. I was being that typical girl, wavering between chastising myself and getting giddy as hell every time I thought about the hot sex and even hotter guy that I had hooked up with the night before. I got out of the shower, one of the few private moments I had in my day, and wiped the fog from the mirror. I stared at my tired face and soaking hair, glad to have washed the makeup and booze off my skin. I replayed my drunken state over in my mind, cursing at myself for being so reckless. I had a lot of responsibilities in life, and the last thing I needed to do was get wasted at a bar and end up putting myself in danger.
Blaine had been such a gentleman, from the moment I started dancing with him, but what if it hadn’t been Blaine? What if one of these skeevy West Palm boys had picked me up? I could have woken up in one of the beatdown areas, surrounded by creeps, and I would have had no idea what I had gotten myself into. Worse than that, I could have really gotten hurt. I was lucky that he showed up when he did. Just as I took a deep breath and thought about Blaine, my father knocked on the door, telling me some guy was there to see me. When I walked around the corner, I was more than shocked to see Blaine’s gorgeous blue eyes looking back at me with a smile on his face.
Never in a million years did I ever think that I would actually see Blaine again. I figured we would text a few times, try to make plans, and then fade from each other’s memories. I really thought it had been a seriously good one-night stand, but knowing men, there was no way I was going to see him again. But there he was, in all his glory, standing awkwardly in my father’s living room. It was rare to sleep with a guy within the first couple hours of meeting him, and then they actually had some sort of interest in you. I didn’t do that very often, but I was a girl who went to college, and as a social person, it was bound to happen every now and then. I drank way too much the night before, and even when I woke up that morning, I questioned myself as to whether my mind was playing tricks on me or if I had really had Blaine over. When I rolled over in my bed and smelled his cologne, I knew that it had not been a dream at all. Having him standing in my living room, though, was definitely not something I was expecting in the least.
I looked at him and tilted my head, curious and excited at the same time. Not only had he come over for no particular reason, he wanted to take me to breakfast. I thought for sure I had left something like my wallet or shoes in the car, and he came back to return them, but no, he was really there just to spend time with me. I was starting to feel like I was in the twilight zone, and I half expected him to tell me something crazy over eggs and bacon. I brushed my hair and grimaced at how fluffy it had become from the blow dryer. Having breakfast with this guy wasn’t the normal, everyday Saturday morning for me, and I really wished I had been able to straighten my hair and put on makeup. However, seeing that he was standing in my living room with my crazy father, I figured faster was better. I pulled my hair into a ponytail and smeared some lip gloss on my lips. The last thing I wanted to do was make Blaine wait. He was too damn hot to be standing around, waiting on my ass. Of course, I had to remind myself that he didn’t know me or my situation at all, so I might want to enjoy this because it probably wouldn’t last forever.
I hurried around the corner and into my bedroom, throwing open my closet and staring at my choices. I didn’t know where he was taking me, so I didn’t want to do a sweatshirt and shorts, but at the same time, I didn’t want to go nuts with a maxi dress and fancy sandals, either. These were the kinds of decisions I would normally mull over for hours, even days, before choosing something, but in the current situation, I needed to grab something and go. I pulled a pink sundress off the hangar and pulled it over my body, looking at how my curves fit the dress perfectly. I nodded my head and smiled, leaning down and slipping a pair of strappy sandals on my feet. I tightened my ponytail and squeezed my cheeks, trying to give myself some sort of color. It was summer in West Palm Beach, and I looked like a damn vampire with my fair skin and dark hair and eyes.
I looked in the mirror and swished the skirt of my dress back and forth, happy with my choice. I sighed at the bags under my eyes and shrugged, knowing there was nothing I could really do about it at that point. I reached over and grabbed my bag from the night before, making sure I had all my stuff, and headed back out to the living room. As I reached the opening, my father yelled out loudly, spewing a steady stream of curse words into the air. I sighed and took a deep breath as I rounded the corner to see my father still playing the damn game. My cheeks blushed immediately, realizing that Blaine was witnessing the ridiculousness of my father. He didn’t understand my family dynamic, and from the look on his face, he was being very understanding of that fact. I leaned over and kissed my father on the top of the head, listening to him grunt in response.
“I won’t be out too long,” I told my father. “There is egg salad in the fridge if you get hungry. I’m taking the keys to the car with me, so if you need anything, don’t hesitate to call my cell. I have it in my purse.”
“Yeah,” he said gruffly, looking up at me. “Have fun.”
The fact that my dad forced a smile and tried to be supportive of the fact that a man had come calling was a big step for him. In reality, he never really saw me doing anything out of my normal routine, but I knew that bothered him. However, he was my responsibility, and in order for me to go anywhere and feel comfortable, it took a bit of preparation, almost as if I had a child to take care of.
Luckily, my father could make his own meals and generally take care of himself physically. I was more of a guardian than anything.