I have never looked at a woman like I did with my wife. Until Tessa. I’m not sure what it is about her that draws me in. At first glance of her walking through the grocery store, I wanted to get to know her, what makes her tick.
The sound of a door shutting brings me back to reality.
“Mr. Damon?” Emily calls out, coming out in her plaid pajamas. Her eyes light up at the smorgasbord of breakfast items. “You made all this?”
I nod, seeing her smile, and take a seat at the table. Her eyes are bigger than her tummy when she puts a mountain of food on it.
“You sure you can eat all of that, kiddo?”
She thrusts a chunk of sausage in her mouth and nods.
Tessa strolls out, hair up in a messy bun, and yawning. “Please tell me there’s coffee.”
“Of course. Fresh pot in the kitchen. Mugs are in the cupboard above.”
She walks off, half asleep still, and then comes back with a cup of joe and sits down next to me.
“Wow, you didn’t have to make all of this. It’s too much.”
The pleasure of having people in my home, a home I thought Carol and I would raise our children in, is immense.
“I’ve got to get going. Enjoy your breakfast, ladies,” I say, emptying my coffee into the sink and heading to the living room. “You guys stay. No rush. Just lock the door when you leave.”
As I snag my coat, Tessa approaches me. “We’ll be out within the hour. Again, we appreciate you letting us stay here last night.”
“Stay as long as you need. It’s no trouble. My number’s on the fridge if you need anything,” I counter, pushing on my coat and heading out the door.
It’s not how I imagined our first night together to be, but that’s okay. Once she finds a place, and I get to know her better, then I’ll ask her out.
On the drive to work, I wonder if they will be there when I get home. Their presence is driving the silence away, which gives me some tranquility. It’s also a nonchalant way for me to get to know more about Tessa. She is beautiful, and for her to be sleeping across the hall from me has me dreaming vividly of events that might happen.
As I walk into the station, everybody is throwing me strange looks. I look down at myself, inspecting my shirt and pants for a stain or a piece of paper saying kick me or something. What the hell is everyone staring at?
“You look chipper, brother,” Liam suggests. “What’s gotten into you?”
“Had some company staying over.”
“Staying over? Like a woman? I never guessed I’d see the day.”
Jesus, lay off already. Liam and Aiden are constantly trying to get me to date, and I can only express to them in so many polite ways to back the fuck off. “Not like that. It’s the mother that I saved yesterday with her little girl. They had nowhere to go. So I suggested the extra bedroom, no big deal.”
I’ve never discussed my crush before, and thank God. If I had, they wouldn’t let up on me now, knowing she is staying with me. Sometimes it’s better to keep matters to yourself.
“Once we decide on a property, they can stay there. Or do you plan on keeping them there with you?”
“Of course not. I’ll call the Realtor now,” I reply.
I dial Mark’s number, hoping he can tell us what the asking price is, and if there are any other properties we should look at around the area. After the pleasantries, we get right to business.
“What’s the cost for the duplex property on Dupont?”
“Let me see.” He is fumbling with some sheets. “Shows two hundred fifty thousand is the asking price.”
“Can you meet us there after work, around six? We’d like to see it and talk before making a decision.”
“Sure. See you then,” he says before hanging up.
I text Aiden.