Page 8 of Final Goodbye
I swallowed the lump building in my throat and hoped that she hadn’t just noticed me slowly checking her out.?
By the look on her face and the way she crossed her arms over her chest, I had a feeling I had been caught.?I was definitely going to need to practice self-control when it came to her and my wandering eyes.
“Declan?” she said with a question in her voice, probably confused why I would be making a house call after our run-in downtown yesterday. I stood there holding on to the stack of meals my mom prepared, sporting a boyish grin across my face.
“Hey, gorgeous. Mama Cooper sent me to drop off some food for you and the family. Didn’t think you’d see me again so soon, did you?” I shrugged my shoulders, weighed down by a week’s worth of food, and attempted to read her body language.
Her confused expression slowly turned into what looked like relief, and the tension visibly left her body. Her shoulders dropped, her eyes turning soft, and she backed up, widening the doorway.
“Would you like to come in and give me a hand with all of that?”
I’d like nothing more.
The last personI expected to be showing up at my childhood home was Declan Cooper. When I answered the door, I figured it would be one of Mom’s friends again, sending their condolences.?
But lo and behold, a tall, tan, tattooed man with sandy blond hair, who looked like he hadn’t showered after work, was on my doorstep, holding what looked like enough food for a wedding party.?He wore that damn panty-melting smirk on his face, and I quickly crossed my arms over my chest in fear that my hardened nipples would give away just how sexy I thought that smirk was.
I never would have guessed that he would grow up to be such a ladies’ man. Since he was openly trying to flatter me, I wanted to say,“No, I never guessed I’d see you again so soon, but I’m sure glad you showed up at my doorstep. Would you like to help distract me from this fucked up life I’m living up in my bedroom?”
Obviously, I thought better of it when I backed up, creating space for him to walk through the front door. I wanted to grabthe food from him, but he had it stacked up so perfectly that if I grabbed it, I feared it would tip over.
There was an awkward silence as he stepped inside. Almost like we were both trying to figure out what to do next.
“I can show you the way to the kitchen so you can set all of that down. I’m sure your arms are getting tired from holding it all.”?He smiled from ear to ear, looking way too eager to come inside and help.
“Of course. Would you like me to take my shoes off? They are pretty dirty from being at the construction site all day.” I had a feeling that wasn’t the only dirty thing about him. I grinned, but I kept that little thought to myself.
“That would be great. I’ve made it my mission today to clean this place up.”
We headed back toward the kitchen and unloaded everything he brought over. I’d have to remember to thank Mrs. Cooper if I saw her around town.
“So… what do we have here?” I looked at the different dishes as I placed them in the refrigerator, trying to figure out what they could be. All I knew was, I was happy to have some extra food in the house because that meant fewer trips to the grocery store and less I would have to cook.?These casseroles would be easy for us to heat up at any time.
“Honestly, I have no idea. But I can guarantee, whatever my mom cooked, it tastes amazing. Especially these muffins. I had a fresh one this morning, and it did not disappoint.”?
“I’ll have to take your word for it.” They did look amazing. Now that I had all this food in front of me, it made me realize it had been a while since I had my last meal. I was so preoccupied with cleaning the house, I forgot to feed myself.?The last couple of days, I had been so absentminded that I wasn’t prioritizing food.
Before I could think twice, I said, “Any chance you’d want to split a muffin with me and have a beer out back? Or water? I don’t have much, but I grabbed a six-pack at the store the other day just in case.” I cringed at my rambling.
Did I just insinuate that I bought beer at the store in case I had company?
“I’d love to. I normally hit upPeaksafter work for some dinner and a cold beer, but the company seems to be better here.” He winked at me before adding, “And I can’t say no to another one of my mom’s muffins.” That wink of his was so charming it made my belly drop. I was speechless. What about me and my company was even remotely nice to be around right now?
Trying not to be awkward, I let out a small laugh and forced a smile. I popped the tops to a couple of beers, keeping one for myself and handing him the other, before heading out to the backyard.
The back patio wasn’t much, but it had enough to make for a comfortable evening. Mostly just an open grass field, it was easy to maintain. But there was a small deck with a couple of lounge chairs and a table that made it a great place to kick back and read a book. Or I guess, in this situation, hang out with a hot guy and drink a beer.
Breaking me out of my thoughts, Declan spoke.?
“Where is everyone? I figured your brother and mom would be home. I didn’t know who would be answering the door when I knocked.”
“Chase is over at a friend’s house, probably just trying to keep busy and be around people he feels closest to. Mom is out. She finally came out of her room for the first time this morning and told me she had some funeral arrangements to figure out.” I didn’t know why I was offering all this information to someone I hadn’t had an adult conversation with until yesterday.?
I blamed my loose lips on my empty stomach and the beer. It felt nice to talk to someone about all of this, though. I didn’t want to bother Chase too much with how I was feeling, and like I said, my mom hadn’t been present until just this morning.
I took a seat on one of the chairs and Declan sat in the one right next to me. “Sounds like your mom is having a tough time. It can’t be easy.” The way the words slipped off his tongue sounded so genuine.
It was hard to hold all of this in, and sometimes, talking to complete strangers was the easier way to go. If they judged you, it was fine because you probably wouldn’t see them again. But in this case, after I slipped up and spilled personal details about my life, I’d probably have to dodge Declan and avoid him in this small town at all costs.
