“Hey… Anna. Look at me. I’m not going anywhere. I’m here to stay.” She dipped her chin in agreement, kissed me on the cheek on the way past, and scurried out the door. I guess it wasn’t the worst thing that could have happened, right?
ChapterTen
Julian had come over later that day and hung out with Ben. It warmed me completely seeing the two of them interacting. Tonight, he was coming over for dinner, and we planned on telling Ben that Julian was his father. It was time to give up a little control and let his father be a father.
I hadn’t heard from him today. My phone, yet again, sat silent on the counter in the nurses station at Silverbell Elementary. It hadn’t been busy except for a couple sick kiddos. Their moms had come to get them. Unfortunately, there was a bit of a stomach bug going around. Yet again. Elementary School in general was kind of a cesspool with germs and kids. Lunch time had come and gone. Only a few hours stood between now and my evening. My mind flashed back to Julian.
I knew he was busy with the shop. One of the guys was giving him a hard time. Darryl? I think he said it was the guy's name. I remembered the conversation we had the other night. He didn’t speak with vitriol, but I could tell he wasn’t a fan. “From what I’ve gathered, he’s dating Everly, but he’s a complete sleaze. He’s the type of guy I absolutely hate being around; cocky and full of shit. But… he’s a damn good mechanic. It’s why Luke hired him in the first place. Give him some tools, a car that is non-diagnosable, and he’ll have it figured out the next day.”
Not only had Julian been at home every night for dinner, he also called. He’d tuck Ben in. I’d never seen a smile so big from my little man. Seeing him happy was worth it. No matter what happened next, he had a dad. Now, we just had to tell him and hope he didn’t have a meltdown.
It was hard to believe how many days it’d been since we’d slept together, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. God, I wanted him so much. I’d gotten myself off at night thinking about him, but I refused to sleep with him for fear of complicating things. I knew he thought it wouldn’t, and maybe he was right, but I wasn’t willing to risk it yet.
We would see Julian as much as possible, but school was still in, and Julian was getting reacquainted with the duties of running an auto shop. Turns out, Luke wasn’t so great at keeping the books up to date, so that’s what Ace had been focusing on. He wanted to put some money into the garage and buy some new equipment for the guys to use.
A knock on the door broke me from my stupor. “Miss Rafferty, I don’t feel too good. My tummy hurts.” I looked up to see Maggie’s little girl, Blaire, walk through the door. Within seconds, she was vomiting all over the floor. Another kiddo lost to the stomach bug.
I wiped up her mouth when she was finally done. “I’m going to call your mom, okay, sweetie?”
She groaned but dipped her head. I helped her over to my exam table, and she laid down while I picked up my phone and dialed Maggie’s number. “Hello.” Her voice sounded winded like she’s been running all over the place, and, honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised. I can imagine Sweet Little Things keeps her busy.
“Hey, Maggie. I’ve got Blaire here in my office at school. She’s sick and threw up once already.”
“Guess the stomach bug caught up with her.” I nodded even though she couldn’t see me.
“Looks so.” I agreed. “Kahlia should be done with school now if you’re busy. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind taking care of Blaire until you get home.”
“Oh! You’re a Goddess. That’s a great idea. I’ll give her a call.”
Most people would think it was wrong to send a seventeen-year-old babysitter to school to pick up a child, but everyone knew Kahlia, and I wasn’t the only person she babysat for in town. There wasn’t a single soul who she hadn’t delighted with her sweetness. My only hope was that when Ben hit that age, he was as sweet and responsible.
Maggie was a doll. She’d moved to Silverbell after her husband died and she was surviving with three little kiddos. I can imagine life wasn’t easy, but she made it look effortless, plus she makes sweet almond croissants to die for. I licked my lips just thinking about those bites of delightfulness.
“Is my Mama coming?” Her little voice hit my ears, bringing me back from thinking about her mom, and I wanted to melt. I hated seeing kids sick and miserable, but I wouldn’t trade this job for the world.
I laid the back of my hand against her forehead and noticed it was a little warm, but I figured that was due to her not feeling well. “Kahlia is going to come and get you, sweetie. Your mom is awfully busy at the bakery right now, but she’ll be home shortly and meet you there.”
“Okay…” I saw the frown that turned the corners of her lips downward. I knew the look all too well; a look of sheer disappointment.
Fifteen minutes later, a familiar face stood in my doorway. “Hey, Miss Raff…” I gave her a pointed look, reminding her of all the times I’ve told her to call me Anna. “I mean, Anna.” She caught herself. “Not feeling too good, huh, Blaire?” She shook her little head. “Well, let’s get going. Your Mama will meet us at home when she’s got everything wrapped up at the store, okay?”
The rest of the afternoon went by slowly, and no one else came in to see me. I picked up Ben from his classroom, and we headed home. We walked to the school and back everyday. It wasn’t worth the gas to drive there unless it was raining.
Today seemed unusually busy as we walked down Main Street; everyone and their brother was out and about. As we approached Luke’s shop, old school rock bled from the speakers, and it brought back so many memories. Ace was the only one who listened to this type of music.
We’d almost walked past the car garage when Ben pulled on my hand until I stopped. “Julian!!!” He yelled, and I spotted Ace just pulling himself out from under his red Chevelle SS and standing up. The smile that took over his face and touched his eyes was absolutely priceless. My eyes roamed over his body.
A pair of blue jean overalls and a gray muscle shirt clung to his body like I wanted to do at that moment. This was the Julian I knew from growing up. I couldn’t look away as he picked up a shop towel, wiped off his sweat coated brow, and headed toward us.
As he approached, I noticed there was grease under his fingernails, and he had a little smear across his face. I laughed, “Hey, you’ve got a… “ Reaching out, I wiped it away.
“Oh, thanks.” That damn smile, and, good gravy, those dimples. Lord, I desired this man, fully.
His gaze diverted to Benjamin as he stood beside me. “Hey, bud. How’s your day going?” He held up his hand, and Ben let go of mine to run up and give him a high five.
Benjamin’s face scrunched up. “You comin’ to dinner with us tonight?”
Ace looked at me and winked. “Of course, bud. I’ll definitely be there.”