Chapter Five
The end of November and the long, cold December were some of the hardest weeks Emily could recall. No, that was a lie. Being married to Jeff had been harder than mourning the loss of Caleb, but only barely. With Jeff, she’d learned how to shut her heart off, and it hadn’t hurt much when he’d stopped caring for her at all and then started belittling and yelling at her constantly. With Caleb gone, she ached every day. It was silly, as they’d never dated and had hardly even touched, but she missed his smile, his patience, the fun way he worked with Krew, and his beautiful blue eyes watching her with that slightly mischievous look.
All of her feelings paled next to how Krew missed him. When she told Krew they weren’t going to the park the night after Jeff had appeared because it was too cold—luckily, it was raining that night, which backed up her words—he’d pitched a small fit but seemed to understand about the “weather.” As the days wore on and he didn’t see his superstar, his “coach,” he got downright grumpy and cranky. Thanksgiving weekend was spent doing fun things with Harley, Mylee, and Vance, which distracted him, and then the Christmas holidays kept them both busy. They flew to Alabama on the eighteenth of December and didn’t get back until January third.
As Krew went back to school in January and Emily went back to working from her home office, she felt despondent and desperate. March was coming, and she would then be free to date, but she’d ditched Caleb, and he hadn’t made any effort to find her. Not that she blamed him; she simply missed him. Was he right, and even after their deal ended in March, Jeff would keep hounding her and not let her date? Would she have to take him back to court and pray that the result would keep Krew safe? She hated to think about it. It didn’t really matter at this point. If she didn’t see Caleb again, she wouldn’t want to date anyway.
She started scheming how she’d find him again. His first home game wasn’t until the end of May. That loomed so far away, but she’d already purchased front-row tickets for her and Krew through the Denver Outlaws website. They were going to attend every home game, and she’d pray he’d notice them and give them another chance.
Her phone buzzed, and she silenced it, trying to focus on the home plans she was drafting. The phone fell silent but then started buzzing again. She glanced at it. Mylee. Her friend knew she was working and usually wouldn’t interrupt. The phone stopped, so she tried to focus back on her project.
A minute later, there was a pounding at the front door. Emily sighed and stretched. She ran on the treadmill every morning in the winter, and she ran outside with Krew riding his bike next to her in the warmer months, but today her body felt like she hadn’t given it any kind of workout, and it was stiff and unused.
She walked through her office and into the entryway. Pulling open the front door, she saw Mylee bundled in a fitted coat and wearing gloves and a hat. A plate of cookies rested in her hands.
“C’mon, girlie, gig’s up,” Mylee said. “We gotta go!”
“Go where?”
“Get your coat on. Now, woman!” Mylee tapped her foot impatiently.
“I’m working here,” Emily grumbled. It bugged her when Mylee treated her work lightly. Mylee was busy with PTA, volunteering at their church and with local charities, and she was an incredible cook, so she was always creating delicacies, but none of her work paid the bills. Emily had the large child support payment from Jeff. It was way more than she needed, and since she’d started working in August, she’d been blessed to be successful at her own work. She’d started using Jeff’s money to pay off her car, pay down her house, build up her savings, and even put some away in a college fund for Krew. If she had to go back to court, she could offer to give up child support to keep him away from Krew. Things would be tight, but she could definitely make it without his money.
“It’ll just take a minute. Move, sloth!”
Emily rolled her eyes. There was no talking Mylee down when she got in one of these moods. She gestured her in and shut the door, then hurried to the mudroom off the kitchen and slid into her boots, coat, hat, and gloves. It was bitterly cold outside, as usual for January in Colorado.
She returned to the foyer, and Mylee flung the door open, rushing out. Emily followed her and asked, “Where are we going?”
“Somebody moved into the Monsons’ house. We need to welcome them.” Mylee hurried down the cleared sidewalk. Though Emily had longer legs and usually was out front when they walked or ran, Mylee was plowing ahead today. “They moved in right after Thanksgiving, and we missed welcoming them. We can’t wait a day longer.”
“Okay.” Though Emily didn’t understand why they couldn’t do this while the boys were home. It was good to have Krew and Harley see them helping others. Yet as they walked, Emily was glad that Mylee had gotten her out. Though it was cold, the sun was shining, and it felt good to move and be outside after sitting at her computer most of the morning. She liked their friendly, tight-knit neighborhood. Most everyone had been great, especially when Jeff had left; there were only a few who were loyal to Jeff, and Emily suspected that was only because he was a football player. Emily wanted to be the kind of neighbor who gave back.
They walked along the sidewalk, then up a nicely stamped-concrete sidewalk to the spacious front porch of the Monsons’ house. It was on a larger corner lot, and it was one of the largest homes in the neighborhood. Emily had always admired the clean brick exterior, the numerous windows, and the beautifully landscaped yard. The backyard bordered a wilderness area with thick trees. The house was so open that you could look through the massive front windows off the entryway and see clear through the floor-to-ceiling panes of glass at the rear of the great room, catching a view of the yard and forest beyond.
They walked onto the porch, and Mylee hit the doorbell. She bounced impatiently.
“Excited?” Emily asked.
Mylee nodded, and her eyes lit up. “You should be too.”
“Why? Someone famous bought the house?” Emily was semi-joking, but it was a pretty enough spot for a celebrity. Her curiosity was piqued.
Mylee nodded again.
The door flung open, and Emily felt her mouth fall open. Caleb stood there, grasping the door. He looked exquisitely gorgeous in only a tank top, some workout shorts, socks, and shoes. She’d seen many a fit body in her day, but nothing compared to the lean lines and smooth muscles of Caleb’s shoulders and arms. Most importantly, he was here! She couldn’t have spoken if her life depended on it.
“Em!” His handsome face split in a wide grin, and he stepped back and ushered them in. “Come in. Hi, Mylee.”
Emily numbly walked in, questions and hopes and dreams rolling through her head. Caleb was truly here, as her neighbor. Mylee had found him for her. Emily may never sass Mylee again.
Caleb’s beautiful welcoming smile made it clear that he’d wanted to see her as much as she’d wanted to see him. Yet the way he greeted Mylee was too casual. He acted like he’d been expecting them, and now that Emily was taking a better look, she could see that even his outfit was suspicious. He was in a tank top and shorts in the dead of winter. He was in workout gear, but he wasn’t sweaty. On the contrary, he looked like he’d come off a photo shoot forAmerican Male,and he smelled good. She’d missed that combination of citrus, musk, and the outdoors.
“Mylee?” she asked in a warning voice. Maybe she did need to sass her friend.
Mylee set the cookies on the entry table, grinned at Caleb, and shouted, “Welcome to the neighborhood!” Then she slipped back through the door and slammed it behind her.
Emily’s temper flared. The nerve. She looked back at Caleb, who was grinning so broadly that she wondered if it hurt his cheeks. Her eyes flitted from his handsome face and over his incredible body, and she said, “You need to cover up those luscious shoulders right now. That tank top is indecent.”