Page 23 of Next Door Midlife Alpha
Stacey pressed her lips together. She should tell Elijah to leave the man alone, but it was more for her own sake than Will’s. And really, what was the harm in a little boy wanting to say hello?
“Avast ye! Are ‘ye looking for buried treasure?” Elijah called.
Stacey moved around to the other side of the clothesline, needing more room to finish hanging her wash. As she arranged a wet towel over the line, a harsh voice blistered through the air. Will had run right up to their fence.
“Shut up and mind your own goddamn business, kid!”
Elijah’s scream immediately followed.
“Hey!” Stacey flicked the towel aside, incensed at such language in front of her young son. She spotted Will, metal detector limp in his hand, storming into the back door of Dylan’s house.
Elijah, meanwhile, had dropped his toy sword and was hurrying over toward her, tears streaming down his face. “Mommy!”
“Baby, come here.” She pulled him into her arms and held him close, feeling his little hands clinging to her. “It’s all right. He shouldn’t have been so mean to you.”
“He was a monster!” Elijah wailed.
Her heart cracked a little. “There are some people in the world who just aren’t nice, unfortunately.”
“No, a…arealmonster!” he insisted. Snot was running from his nose now. “With big yellow fangs!”
She considered this as she led him back over to the clothesline and pulled down a dry handkerchief from an earlier load of laundry. “Fangs?”
“Yeah, and his eyes were yellow, too! I was close enough to see!”
Stacey mopped his face, her hands moving in gentle contrast to the way she felt inside. Elijah had always had a vivid imagination. That was precisely why he could enjoy himself so much while pretending to be a pirate, astronaut, or train conductor. She had no doubt some of that creativity had run away with him in a moment of fear, but it showed her just how much of an impact Will had made on Elijah. “Why don’t we take a break and go inside for some ice cream?”
Vivian’s book slapped shut. “Before dinner?”
“Sure.” Stacey should’ve checked the time, and their dinner would probably end up being a little later now, but that would be fine. The only thing she really wanted right now was for her son to feel better. That was something she could achieve in the moment, although she wasn’t sure what to do about Will.
“Do we have any chocolate?” Elijah sniffled as they made their way in through the kitchen door.
“I think we have chocolate sauce,” Stacey answered, peeking into the freezer and pulling out a half-gallon of vanilla. “And some sprinkles. You go wash your hands and I’ll get it started.”
“Okay!” Elijah ran off toward the bathroom with his sister on his heels.
“Don’t run in the house,” she called after them, though she doubted they could hear her as they jostled over who got to use the sink first. Stacey pulled open several drawers, trying to remember where she’d stashed the ice cream scoop. Most of their possessions had been unpacked by now, but she had yet to remember where they all were.
As she scooped big servings of vanilla ice cream into three bowls, she deliberated on what to do. That asshole had no right to speak to her son like that. Elijah was being friendly and pretending to be apirate. Who chewed out a kid for something like that? Even if he’d been rude, no grown-ass adult should stoop to such a level. She had half a mind to march her ass right over there and tell him so.
But she hadn’t forgotten the way he’d leered at her when he’d caught her in the backyard in her robe, the way his eyes had openly roved over her body and made all sorts of suggestions. She didn’t trust him.
Splashing and laughing echoed down the hallway. Stacey moved into the living room to get a different vantage point. Dylan’s Jeep wasn’t in its usual spot in his driveway. He was probably at work, but she’d be keeping an eye out for when he got back home. Then she’d go over there and tell him just what she thought of his brother.
As the bathroom door slammed, she returned to her task. Her hand shook as she picked up the bottle of chocolate sauce and drizzled it over the ice cream.
“More!” Elijah enthused.
“Okay.” She added several more swirls before she moved to the next bowl. There was no reason for her to be so nervous. Stacey was doing the safe thing by waiting until Dylan was home before she went over there. She and her kids were safe in their home, so there was no current threat from Will.
As she pulled several containers of sprinkles from the cabinet so the kids could have their choice, she realized that maybe she was nervous for a different reason. Dylan. He’d wanted time apart to handle his own life. She could handle that, and she wouldn’t be violating his request. They were neighbors, regardless of whatever else might or might not be between them. Still, the thought of speaking to him was making her body thrum with anxiety. She was livid at Will, but that anger wouldn’t let her dismiss the fact that Dylan was a handsome, charming man. A man that she wanted even if she couldn’t have him.
Irritated with herself for feeling like such a teenager, she added a generous dusting of sprinkles to her own bowl. What were a few more calories?
13
Dylan’s shouldersached as he turned onto his road. His eyes felt dry and bleary, and the skin on his face was too tight for his features. His brain was just as tired as his body, and his bear was restless. He turned into the driveway and parked, grateful to finally be home.
