Page 26 of Summer Heat
Maya grabbed her bucket and ran to the water, filling it up, and bringing it back to dump it in their moat. They did this over and over again, laughing when the water splashed out.
I should have been enjoying the break. But I couldn't stop watching them. Shep took an interest in Maya when he didn't have to. He wasn't her father, and he wasn't even dating me. He would only hang out with her if he truly enjoyed the experience.
As sweet as his actions were, it didn't mean that we'd get to keep him in our lives.
When the gray clouds came in and the wind picked up, I snapped pictures of them standing proudly in front of their castle. Then we rushed to clear our things before the first raindrop fell. We made it to the patio when it started in earnest.
Huge raindrops fell all around us. We laughed as we hurried, slipping on the concrete. We didn't stop until we were just inside the glass door. We dropped our things, still filled with sand, on the floor, watching the rain come down.
"I'll clean the sand out later," Shep said.
"Can I take a bath?" Maya asked me.
"As long as it's not thundering," I called out to her retreating back. Maya was already racing up the stairs.
"We'll hurry so you can take a shower next."
He pulled his shirt over his head. "No rush."
I smiled at him then hurried to catch up with Maya before she got into the tub. She needed supervision, and I didn't need to be alone with Shep.
I helped Maya in the bath before taking a quick shower, then changing and heading downstairs. I reheated leftovers, and we ate at the counter.
Shep came down a little while later, his hair damp, wearing a white T-shirt stretched tight over his broad muscles, and loose-fitting sweats. I couldn't stop thinking about how accessible his body was. A quick tug and I'd know if he wore briefs underneath his sweats. I started to sweat at the prospect of him being commando.
I needed to stop thinking about him like this. He was a friend, my boss, and nothing more.
"Let's have a movie night." Shep pulled out the popcorn kernels and a machine to pop them. Then he grabbed butter and seasoning. "Do you like butter or cheesy?"
"Cheesy!" Maya bounced on her toes, trying to grab the seasoning container out of his hand.
"I'll let you help if you clear your dish." He nodded toward where her plate still sat at the table. She turned and grabbed it, bringing it to me to put in the dishwasher.
"Good job putting your plate away," I said, more than a little surprised that she'd done it at his request. She tended to push back when I asked her to do anything.
Maya crawled onto the stool while he got the machine ready. Then he explained to her what they had to do to get it popping.
I finished cleaning up the leftover food and dishes while he told her about the importance of popping all the kernels.
I was used to weekends being long and a little lonely with just the two of us, so it was nice to share our evenings with Shepard. I should look for a place before I got too used to it.
It would be an adjustment to go back to the way things were before. I usually made frozen pizza on Friday nights, and we popped microwavable popcorn for our movie nights. It was similar but very different. Being here with Shep in this house was indescribable. It made me feel like we could do anything.
That I wasn't confined to my role as a single mother who couldn't find a decent place to live or afford a vacation for my daughter. That things were going to get better.
The popcorn started to pop, and Maya watched it with rapt wonder. I couldn't help but snap another picture of her and Shep together. They were so sweet. These were memories I'd cherish when we moved on.
This was a role for Shep to play for now. But eventually, he'd get bored of it.
"Where should we watch the movie?" Maya asked.
She thought it was odd that there were no TVs around the house. I thought it was because it was a historical home, and they would detract from the decor. But Shep didn't even have one in his room.
Shep grinned as he shook the cheesy seasoning over the popcorn. "I'm going to show you something that no one else knows about. It will be our little secret."
Then he poured the popcorn into a large bowl labeled popcorn. It must have come from one of those fancy kitchen stores. Then he motioned for us to follow him. "Don't worry about drinks. This room is stocked."
Curious as to what he was talking about, I followed him and Maya upstairs. There was a door in the primary bedroom. I would have assumed it was a closet, but it opened to a wooden staircase. I was surprised that the steps were wide and easy to navigate.
