Page 25 of The Deadbeat Next Door

“What the heck are you doing in my house?” I asked.

Cody turned to face me. His cheeks were a bit pink. Was he blushing? His eyes went immediately to my chest and he swore again, his hands curling into fists. “I brought some food over for you, since I figured you wouldn’t have anything here and hangovers just don’t go well with an empty stomach.” he said, his eyes bouncing up to my face. “I knocked and rang the doorbell, but you didn’t answer and the door was open, so I let myself in. I shouldn’t have, but I was worried you might be sick, and then you were taking so long in the shower, I figured I’d just shout in and let you know there was hot food here so you’d pick up the pace and then you stepped out and I…” He dropped his head into his hands and muttered some more. “Shit. I’m really fucking sorry. I know I’ve invaded your space and I promise I am not a creeper, I—”

I knew I was missing a golden opportunity to use his guilt against him, but he was kind of cute, all embarrassed and babbling. He was usually so smug and self-assured and his nervousness, his discomfiture…It was just plain adorable. Plus, he’d mentioned food and my fickle stomach, that had been sloshing in discontent a moment before, rumbled with queasy hunger. “Did you say you brought food?”

His concern changed instantly to a cocky smile and I internally kicked myself for not punishing him for his bad behavior. “It’s in the kitchen.”

I followed him to the kitchen to see a plate of eggs and bacon and hash browns, actual hash browns, and a second plate of pancakes, fluffy, delicious pancakes. On one of the kitchen chairs, my clothes from the night before were neatly folded. Forget torturing this jerk, maybe I should marry him. I might be able to put up with his snarky attitude if he graced me with food like this every day. “How’d you have time to make all this?”

He shrugged. “I did most of it while you were sleeping. I’d just finished it up when you ran away.”

“I didn’t run away,” I said. “I hurried out so I wouldn’t be late for church.” I somehow doubt my words had the intended effect, because I sat down and picked up a fork as I said them. I took a bite of melt-in-my-mouth pancake and groaned in absolute ecstasy. I was in food heaven.

Cody shifted behind me. “I should probably head home.”

I took a bite of eggs that had a slight hint of cheese and something spicy and moaned. “You bring me food like this and you can stay as long as you want, whenever you want.” I blame the food for my poorly considered invitation.

Cody leaned over, his mouth right next to my cheek. “I just might just take you up on that, sweetheart.”

I spun to tell him I wanted a take back, but the fact that his words made my body melt like warm butter and that I was severely hung over must have made me move more slowly than normal. By the time I’d spun to face him, he was already gone, my front door closing behind him.

If I hadn’t had a pile of food in front of me, I might have been more upset about his abrupt departure and the possibility of him following through on his threat, but I chose to eat and enjoy the moment.

I’d just finished putting the last dish in the dishwasher and was about to leave, when someone knocked on my door. My heart leapt into my throat. Had Cody come back? What could he possibly want?

That question made images of Cody’s pouty lips and his warm body against mine flash in my mind and I forgot where I was until a second knock startled me out of my reverie. I hurried to the door and flung it open to see Kayla, a little girl, and a little boy on my front porch.

Kayla’s eyes were red and watery, but it looked like she’d washed her hair and her dress was clean. The two younger children were clinging to her, their eyes wide and afraid. “Kayla,” I said. I opened the door wider and gestured the three of them inside. “Is everything okay?”

She didn’t move from her spot on my porch. “Miss Harrison,” she said, as though she were reciting a practiced speech. She looked so much younger than she did at school. “I was outside, playing with Simon and Jenny before church and I…I locked us out of the house. Dad’s at work and I don’t know how to get us inside. I…” Her lower lip trembled and it looked like she was about to lose it. I could only imagine how scary it must have been for her, to be stuck outside with two young children and no idea what to do. I also suspected there was a lot more to her story, like how she’d gotten to my house, but I wasn’t going to push her on the details. Not when she was so upset and not when her brother and sister were standing right there, looking at her like she’d invented dolls and race cars.

“That sounds like the sort of thing I would do,” I said. “Have you eaten?”

“I’m hungry,” Jenny said, her voice little girl sweet.

Kayla tightened her grip on the little girl. “We’ve had breakfast,” she said firmly. “Simon needs to use the bathroom.”

“Okay,” I said. “Simon is welcome to use my bathroom.” I pointed it out to the little boy. He walk-hopped there like he really had to go. “I’m on my way to church, myself,” I said. “I’m an usher today. You three are welcome to come with me. There will be snacks there.”

I didn’t miss the flash of hunger in Kayla’s eyes or the goose bumps on her bare arms. It was spring, but it was still chilly in the mornings, and it looked like it might rain. “If you’re sure it’s okay,” Kayla said. “Our church is on the other end of town, past the college…Too far to walk. We usually get a ride with Mrs. Simmons, but she’d already left and…”

There were so many holes in this story it was see-through, but I didn’t want to ask any questions that might scare them off. “I’d love for you to go to church with me. It won’t be any trouble at all.”

Simon came out of the bathroom and I piled everyone into my car. I was certain Jenny should have a booster seat, but I didn’t have one and it wasn’t far to the church. I drove slowly and carefully and we arrived all in one piece.

***

I made it to church just in time to get Kayla, Simon, and Jenny set up with snacks and seated in pews, before I went to perform my usher duties.

Lance was my co-usher and he looked natty and bright-eyed. “Good morning, sunshine,” he said. “How are you feeling?”

I grabbed a stack of church bulletins to hand out and glared at him. “A bit betrayed by my very best friends who allowed a Neanderthal to carry me home.”

Lance laughed. “That wasn’t the tune you were singing last night, darling. You told both me and Dilly that you wanted Cody and his big, strong arms to take you home.”

Ugh, just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, somehow it did. “Please tell me he didn’t hear me say that.”

Lance’s smile widened. “He didn’t hear you say that, but he did hear you when you told him he had very kissable lips.”

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