Yours or Mine (6 page)

“Hey, I can take care
of myself. I took your self-defense class.” She could brag to Zach
and remind him how she had been his best student. “Maybe I’ll
attack Blake.”

Zach sighed. “I don’t
think Blake would mind. I just don’t want you to get hurt again.”

She glanced around at
her apartment. From her spot on the couch, she was only steps away
from the tiny kitchen. “I definitely would like a bigger place.
You’re the one who told me it’s a buyer’s market in this
economy. You know if I buy this duplex with Blake, I’ll have more
money to spend on my favorite brother and his family.”

“I don’t need
anything. I just want you to be happy.” He exhaled a deep breath.
“Sounds like you’ve decided to go ahead with it. You better warn
Blake how you hate thunderstorms and hide under your bed.”

“I’m a big girl
now. I don’t particularly care for thunderstorms, but it’s the
lightning that really bothers me.” Zach had been away when the girl
on her soccer team had gotten struck by lightning and died, but still
he should remember how upset she’d been for months. And he was
right about her fear of thunderstorms, but she had learned to cope.
Well, a little anyhow.

“I guess that’ll
give you an excuse to run into Blake’s arms.”

She didn’t need an
excuse but wasn’t going to tell her brother that fact. “I’d
like Blake to meet Mom and Dad.”

“How about at the
game this Wednesday night? Blake will be there to see Carter play, so
they can just meet him too.”

“That’s a great
suggestion.”

“I just thought of
something. Where does Blake live now? It seems like he’d already
have a house.”

“He sold it after his
wife died from cancer. She’d been ill for some time and he decided
to move to a townhouse.” She opened her laptop. “I better get
busy on my column.”

“Write about what a
great brother you have, and how you’re looking for a guy just like
me.”

“Sure, good night.
See you Wednesday.”

Why did Zach have to
mention thunderstorms? She closed her cell phone before pushing the
button to boot her computer. And what was this about Blake hitting on
mothers at PTO meetings? Lindsay must have brought it up to Zach
after meeting Blake the other night. She’d gotten the impression
he’d been wrapped up in Carter’s life since Caroline’s death.
If Blake had a woman in his life, why did he want her around? He said
Carter needed a woman’s presence nearby. Also he gave the
impression he wanted a woman to help them to adjust to their new
life.

What did Blake
really need?

Two weeks after looking
at the house, Karen called Sydney and said, “I’m calling you and
Blake because I have four showings this weekend on the duplex you two
liked. I don’t know if there will be any offers, but wanted to keep
you both updated. With the good price, I’m expecting some action on
it soon.”

“Have you called
Blake yet?” She didn’t care if Karen had, but needed to learn if
Blake mentioned them buying the house together. After last night’s
practice, they decided to call Karen on Saturday morning and set up a
time to write up a contract.

“No. I’m going to
call him next.”

That was a surprise,
she thought. She’d expected Karen to call Blake first. “We both
definitely want the duplex so have decided to buy it together. We
actually planned on calling you tomorrow morning about writing up an
offer.”

“I’ve had other
unmarried couples buy a house together, but usually they’ve been in
a relationship for some time and are engaged.”

Sydney laughed. “That’s
definitely not us. I’m sure we are the only ones to accidentally
meet for the first time at a house showing and decide to buy it
together. Don’t worry. We’re both serious and have talked a lot
about whether to do this or not. We also plan to see a lawyer if our
offer is accepted. We want something like a prenup in case it doesn't
work out for us to own the duplex together. We hope there won't be
any problems, but it's better to have a legal document in case one of
us wants out later.”

Karen was free on
Saturday morning. Sydney went ahead and scheduled the appointment for
ten o’clock.

I should call Blake.
Before calling Blake, she leaned back against the sofa. Moving was a
big deal at anytime but what she planned on doing was unusual. People
might question her motives and Blake’s, but it felt right.
Hopefully, she wasn’t being delusional about her expectations that
buying the duplex with Blake could work.

She’d call her
parents and Zach later with the news. She speed dialed Blake’s
number. After he answered she asked,” I hope you haven’t changed
your mind about writing up a contract with me.” She then told Blake
about Karen’s call and the appointment she made.

“I’m glad you did.
We need to move on this. Otherwise we might lose the house to other
buyers.” He laughed. “Do you think we’re crazy?”

“No, I think we’re
making a wise decision. We both are getting what we want in a house
plus saving a bundle of money.” She heard kids in the background
and wondered if her nephew was there. Zach mentioned that Aaron might
go to Blake’s townhouse sometime. “It sounds noisy at your place.
Is Aaron there?”

“We’re at
McDonald’s. We go sometimes on Friday evening. Carter loves their
play area. Why don’t you join us?”

“If I do, will you
buy me a burger?”

“Sure. I’ll even
throw in French fries with your order.”

“I’m grabbing my
keys right now.”

* * *

Blake watched Sydney
talk to Carter. He noticed his son laughing at something she said.
What a relief that Sydney liked kids. Carter had definitely bonded
with her fast. His own feelings had escalated for Sydney. He couldn’t
stop thinking about her.
Oh, man, did she have to lean closer to
Carter.
The movement tightened her top across those lovely
breasts. His body heated up just looking at her chest. Well, he
assumed they were lovely. He hadn’t seen her naked but had hot
dreams of her in his arms in bed.

Standing next to him,
Sydney placed her hands on her hips. “Okay, did you eat some of my
fries? You have a guilty look on your face.”

He shook his head. “I
think maybe we should add something to our list of rules.”

She smiled before
picking up a fry. “Hey, I was kidding. What’s mine is yours.”

“It’s not about
food. I think we need a rule that you shouldn’t wear tight tops.
I’m human after all, and I want to jump your bones.”

“Right here…in the
McDonald’s play area.” She giggled. “I guess I could start
wearing jackets and keep them buttoned over my tops which, by the
way, are not too tight. Maybe you should have an eye examination. If
I go with the jacket idea, though, we’ll have to keep the
air-conditioning on if I get hot.”

He mumbled, “I have a
feeling we’ll be running the air a lot.”

“I’m going to
practice with Carter tomorrow after we meet with Karen. He wants me
to help him with his swing. Is that okay with you?”

What was his son up to?
They’d been working on his ball skills. “Sure, that’s fine. I’m
surprised he wants to since I’ve been helping him all week.”

She shrugged. “I
guess he wants personal attention from the coach.”

“I’d like special
attention from such a pretty coach too.”

“I called my parents
tonight and told them about us making an offer tomorrow.” She took
a bite of her sandwich.

She didn’t seem upset
so it must have gone well. He tried to make a good impression on Mr.
and Mrs. Smith when he’d met them at the game. He was sure they’d
rather Sydney bought the house herself. “What did they say?”

“They thought of a
good reason for me to live with such a strong man.”

“What’s the
reason?”

“Remember how I told
you that I don’t have my last name above my column and I don’t
give my address and phone number to people unless they are close
friends. And I never mention where I live or anything personal in my
column. I’m sure if someone really wants to learn more about me
that they can, but I try to stay as private as possible.”

He nodded. “And your
photo doesn’t look like you with the glasses.”

“I thought my fake
glasses were a nice touch. My parents and Zach worry about me living
alone in case my advice might cause a boyfriend or someone to get
angry enough to come looking for me. Or some weirdo decides to stalk
me. They think it’ll be safer with you and Carter next door.”

Well, that was
interesting what her parents said. By living with him, Sydney might
be safer from strange, angry men. A good thing they didn’t realize
she might not be safe from him. He wanted her in the worst way, but
knew promising a platonic living arrangement meant he couldn’t act
on his horny thoughts. Even if he was falling in love with Sydney.

Falling in
love…where did that thought come from?

She frowned. “Don’t
worry. I can take care of myself. I’ve taken self-defense classes,
but they still think I'm vulnerable.”

“Sorry. I’m not
worried about that. I’m happy to protect you if necessary. I’m
just surprised about your parents.”

“We don’t have the
house yet. They might think we won’t get it.”

* * *

During the first week
in the new duplex house, Sydney couldn’t get over how fast
everything had gone after their initial offer. Taking her morning
coffee out to the deck to enjoy the fresh air, she thought how it
seemed unreal to actually be in the same house with Blake and Carter.
Her life had changed suddenly from being a single woman in a tiny
apartment to living now in a spacious place with two wonderful guys
close by.

While sitting next to
the new patio set she bought with Blake, she remembered how their
first offer made was for five thousand less than the asking price.
She’d told Blake, “It's too risky. Karen said that another couple
plan to make an offer.”

She sipped her coffee,
thinking how Blake had been right to try to get it for less. Although
the owners hadn’t accepted the lower amount, they came back with a
counter offer of two thousand off their listed price. They’d signed
the contract quickly, giving each other a hug before the signatures
were dry.

A whirlwind of activity
occurred right after the house inspection went without a hitch. Her
face felt hot and it wasn’t because of the steaming coffee. An
embarrassing image of furniture shopping with Blake popped into her
mind. He’d gone with her while she looked for a bed. With a big
master bedroom, she decided to get a king size bed. The salesman had
assumed they were married and told them to try out the mattress.

Big mistake.
One
minute they were behaving on the bed and the next, they were in each
other’s arms, kissing passionately. They broke their embrace at the
sounds of nearby voices. Her eyes opened wide to see an audience
watching them. She couldn’t believe how she acted in a public
place. One older man had said to his wife, “I’ll buy this exact
mattress if I get that kind of attention from you.”

“I missed you on my
run this morning.” Blake wiped his face with a small towel.

She grinned, looking up
at Blake. “Sure, you did. You looked pretty happy when I said I’d
stay here with Carter so you could run.”

“Okay, I do like
getting it done the first thing in the morning. Next Saturday you can
go first.” Blake tossed the towel on her table before sitting down.
“I’m glad Carter likes the summer program at the Y. We’ll still
have our weekdays to run together.”

She nodded. “That’s
great we can.” Or was it a good thing for her to see Blake first
thing in the morning? Stretching with him before their jog did things
to her. He looked so sexy and cute in his shorts and shirt. Yeah, why
did he have to wear that stupid muscle T-shirt?

“What time did you
say they’re delivering the furniture?”

“Around noon. I can’t
wait. We should eat together this evening to celebrate.”

“We should.” He
playfully touched her knee. “At least you didn’t have to wait on
your bed. How do you like sleeping on it?”

She raised her
eyebrows. “Fine.”
What a liar,
she thought.
I’d sleep
better if you were with me.

* * *

Maybe eating in the
dining room had been a bad idea, Sydney thought, while getting ready
for bed. What a celebration. She felt tipsy after drinking lots of
wine at dinner. Too bad their festive night had ended already. Hey,
she might as well wear something pretty to bed. Opening her lingerie
drawer, she pulled out her lace-trimmed satin slip.
Very skimpy.
She’d throw a robe over it in the morning. Blake would never see it
when he came for his morning coffee. He liked her coffee because she
had the grind and brew type of coffeepot.

She jumped at the sound
of thunder. Glancing outside, she saw continuous lightning flashing
in the sky. She took a deep breath.
I can handle this. It’s just
a little thunderstorm.
More alcohol was needed to calm her
nerves. So what she’d already had enough to drink. It wasn’t like
she planned to drive anywhere.
The stronger, the better.
Whiskey would hit the spot but she knew they didn’t have any in the
house. She wasn’t about to venture out to a store during a raging
storm to get her favorite bottle of whiskey.

Once in the kitchen,
she opened the refrigerator and took out the bottle of red wine.
After pouring a glass, she started walking toward the window to peek
at the formidable sky. Before she got there, a loud clap of thunder
startled her. Leaping away from the window, she dropped her glass.
She moaned at the sound of glass breaking against the hardwood floor.

A second later, she
yelled, “Ouch.” A piece of glass must be in her foot, she
thought.