Which, by the way, it was not.
“Uh…hey,” I returned. “I’m Mara, um…” I had no further information to give because they obviously already knew who I was and I wasn’t certain what I was to Mitch. Except last night he’d called me his Mara and just thinking about him doing that made goose flesh rise on my skin.
I hoped they couldn’t see it.
Penny ignored me trailing off stupidly and asked, “How’s Billie?”
“Fever broke,” Mitch answered. Having closed the door, he was moving too. Toward me. And I noted he seemed laidback about this new and unusual turn of events like his mother and sister frequently happened by unannounced and maybe they did. “It came on fast and she was cool before the second dose so it left just as fast.”
“That’s good,” Mrs. Lawson murmured, coming to stand by Penny at the bar.
“Would you guys like some, um…coffee?” I asked, pulling up my hostessing skills and wondering if I should because it wasn’t my house, also because I probably should excuse myself to go put on some clothes.
Mitch was already getting mugs as Mrs. Lawson replied, “That’d be great.”
“Love a cup,” Penny added.
Although I asked to be polite, I didn’t know how to feel about their response considering their response meant they were staying awhile. And weirdly they didn’t seem surprised I was playing hostess in Mitch’s kitchen while wearing a nightie and his flannel.
Mitch set the mugs down and I grabbed the coffeepot and filled them. No one said anything so I latched onto something Mitch said and when he returned to me with the gallon jug of milk, I asked, “What do you mean, Billie was cool before the second dose?”
He splashed milk into two mugs and then set the jug aside, answering, “Set the alarm like I said I’d do. It woke me up, I checked her and she was good.”
At his words, forgetting my audience, I stared at his handsome profile as he grabbed a spoon from the drawer and then reached out to the sugar bowl.
Then I asked, “Why didn’t you wake me?”
“No need, she was cool,” Mitch answered, spooning sugar into the milky mugs.
“But why didn’t you wake me?” I repeated, Mitch’s head turned and his eyes caught mine.
“There was no need, sweetheart,” he repeated with variation. “She was cool, you were both out so I just went back to sleep.”
I felt my brows knit. “You just went back to sleep?”
“Well, yes and no. I got up, turned out the lights, locked the front door and then I came back to bed and went back to sleep.”
I stared at him, lips parted.
He woke up to check Billie, found she was okay, got out of his bed not to go sleep on the couch but instead he turned out the lights, locked the front door and came back to his bed, a bed I was in with Billie.
Why would he do that? Why?
He turned and handed coffees to his mother and sister while I watched and they, I noticed vaguely, watched us and they did this closely. Then he turned back and grabbed his which he took black. Then he lifted it to his lips. Then I opened my mouth to speak.
“Hey,” I heard Billy mumble and my eyes jerked to my little cousin who was walking out dressed for school in a pair of new jeans and one of the new tees I bought him, hair combed, looking like the perfect child.
“Hey there, you must be Billy,” Mrs. Lawson grinned at him. “I’m Mitch’s Mom, Sue Ellen, and this is my daughter, Mitch’s sister, Penny.”
“Hey,” Penny smiled.
“Hey,” Billy smiled back then climbed up on a stool and looked at Mitch. “Can you do oatmeal again, Mitch?” he asked.
“Sure, Bud,” Mitch muttered, put his coffee mug down and went to a cupboard to get a glass.
“Cool, thanks,” Billy muttered back.
Okay, this was weird. This was insane. This was nuts. But I couldn’t cope with any of that now. My life was on its head, as it would be considering I was now in charge of two kids, my cousin was in jail and the Russian mob, amongst others, wanted him dead. And my apartment was a crime scene. And my mother and aunt were in town. And me and my two new kids were essentially living with my hot guy neighbor I’d secretly been in love with for years. I needed to focus and not on Mitch, Mitch’s apparently nosy sister and equally nosy Mom.
I grabbed my coffee mug, took a fortifying sip of caffeine and walked to stand across the counter from Billy.
“Billy, honey, Billie got sick last night so she’s going to stay home with me today,” I told him.
“She did?” Billy asked, his face suddenly awash with concern but he looked strangely like he was hiding something.
I couldn’t ask or pay too close attention because Mitch took all of it when he stated firmly, “She is not.”
I turned to him in surprise to see his words weren’t the only thing that was firm. His face was firm too and this made me even more surprised.
“Yes, she is,” I told him.
“She’s fine,” he replied, coming to my side and putting a glass of milk in front of Billy. “Fever broke. She’s good.”
“She puked her guts out last night, Mitch,” I reminded him.
“She did?” Billy asked and I looked at him.
“Yes, buddy, she did. She’s okay now,” I assured him. “But I want her to rest today.”
“She’s good, Mara,” Mitch butted in. “And she’s missed enough school, something I learned yesterday when I talked to her teacher. Apparently, her Dad didn’t make her go. But now she’s fine and she’s going to school.”
My head turned to Mitch. “Maybe she’s fine but she might have a relapse and I don’t want her at school when she has a relapse. I want her at home and I want to be around if she does.”
“She has a relapse, the school will call and you or I’ll go get her,” Mitch returned.
“That would be a waste of time,” I replied. “What wouldn’t be a waste of time would be if she had a relapse and she was already home.”
“She’s goin’ to school, Mara,” Mitch declared and I felt my blood pressure ratcheting higher.
“She’s not, Mitch,” I declared right back then I thought of something and I looked at Billy. “Maybe you shouldn’t go to school either.”
I watched my cousin’s eyes light with delight at the thought of missing school but I heard Mitch speak.
“Why the hell not?” he asked and I looked back at him.
“Uh…hey,” I returned. “I’m Mara, um…” I had no further information to give because they obviously already knew who I was and I wasn’t certain what I was to Mitch. Except last night he’d called me his Mara and just thinking about him doing that made goose flesh rise on my skin.
I hoped they couldn’t see it.
Penny ignored me trailing off stupidly and asked, “How’s Billie?”
“Fever broke,” Mitch answered. Having closed the door, he was moving too. Toward me. And I noted he seemed laidback about this new and unusual turn of events like his mother and sister frequently happened by unannounced and maybe they did. “It came on fast and she was cool before the second dose so it left just as fast.”
“That’s good,” Mrs. Lawson murmured, coming to stand by Penny at the bar.
“Would you guys like some, um…coffee?” I asked, pulling up my hostessing skills and wondering if I should because it wasn’t my house, also because I probably should excuse myself to go put on some clothes.
Mitch was already getting mugs as Mrs. Lawson replied, “That’d be great.”
“Love a cup,” Penny added.
Although I asked to be polite, I didn’t know how to feel about their response considering their response meant they were staying awhile. And weirdly they didn’t seem surprised I was playing hostess in Mitch’s kitchen while wearing a nightie and his flannel.
Mitch set the mugs down and I grabbed the coffeepot and filled them. No one said anything so I latched onto something Mitch said and when he returned to me with the gallon jug of milk, I asked, “What do you mean, Billie was cool before the second dose?”
He splashed milk into two mugs and then set the jug aside, answering, “Set the alarm like I said I’d do. It woke me up, I checked her and she was good.”
At his words, forgetting my audience, I stared at his handsome profile as he grabbed a spoon from the drawer and then reached out to the sugar bowl.
Then I asked, “Why didn’t you wake me?”
“No need, she was cool,” Mitch answered, spooning sugar into the milky mugs.
“But why didn’t you wake me?” I repeated, Mitch’s head turned and his eyes caught mine.
“There was no need, sweetheart,” he repeated with variation. “She was cool, you were both out so I just went back to sleep.”
I felt my brows knit. “You just went back to sleep?”
“Well, yes and no. I got up, turned out the lights, locked the front door and then I came back to bed and went back to sleep.”
I stared at him, lips parted.
He woke up to check Billie, found she was okay, got out of his bed not to go sleep on the couch but instead he turned out the lights, locked the front door and came back to his bed, a bed I was in with Billie.
Why would he do that? Why?
He turned and handed coffees to his mother and sister while I watched and they, I noticed vaguely, watched us and they did this closely. Then he turned back and grabbed his which he took black. Then he lifted it to his lips. Then I opened my mouth to speak.
“Hey,” I heard Billy mumble and my eyes jerked to my little cousin who was walking out dressed for school in a pair of new jeans and one of the new tees I bought him, hair combed, looking like the perfect child.
“Hey there, you must be Billy,” Mrs. Lawson grinned at him. “I’m Mitch’s Mom, Sue Ellen, and this is my daughter, Mitch’s sister, Penny.”
“Hey,” Penny smiled.
“Hey,” Billy smiled back then climbed up on a stool and looked at Mitch. “Can you do oatmeal again, Mitch?” he asked.
“Sure, Bud,” Mitch muttered, put his coffee mug down and went to a cupboard to get a glass.
“Cool, thanks,” Billy muttered back.
Okay, this was weird. This was insane. This was nuts. But I couldn’t cope with any of that now. My life was on its head, as it would be considering I was now in charge of two kids, my cousin was in jail and the Russian mob, amongst others, wanted him dead. And my apartment was a crime scene. And my mother and aunt were in town. And me and my two new kids were essentially living with my hot guy neighbor I’d secretly been in love with for years. I needed to focus and not on Mitch, Mitch’s apparently nosy sister and equally nosy Mom.
I grabbed my coffee mug, took a fortifying sip of caffeine and walked to stand across the counter from Billy.
“Billy, honey, Billie got sick last night so she’s going to stay home with me today,” I told him.
“She did?” Billy asked, his face suddenly awash with concern but he looked strangely like he was hiding something.
I couldn’t ask or pay too close attention because Mitch took all of it when he stated firmly, “She is not.”
I turned to him in surprise to see his words weren’t the only thing that was firm. His face was firm too and this made me even more surprised.
“Yes, she is,” I told him.
“She’s fine,” he replied, coming to my side and putting a glass of milk in front of Billy. “Fever broke. She’s good.”
“She puked her guts out last night, Mitch,” I reminded him.
“She did?” Billy asked and I looked at him.
“Yes, buddy, she did. She’s okay now,” I assured him. “But I want her to rest today.”
“She’s good, Mara,” Mitch butted in. “And she’s missed enough school, something I learned yesterday when I talked to her teacher. Apparently, her Dad didn’t make her go. But now she’s fine and she’s going to school.”
My head turned to Mitch. “Maybe she’s fine but she might have a relapse and I don’t want her at school when she has a relapse. I want her at home and I want to be around if she does.”
“She has a relapse, the school will call and you or I’ll go get her,” Mitch returned.
“That would be a waste of time,” I replied. “What wouldn’t be a waste of time would be if she had a relapse and she was already home.”
“She’s goin’ to school, Mara,” Mitch declared and I felt my blood pressure ratcheting higher.
“She’s not, Mitch,” I declared right back then I thought of something and I looked at Billy. “Maybe you shouldn’t go to school either.”
I watched my cousin’s eyes light with delight at the thought of missing school but I heard Mitch speak.
“Why the hell not?” he asked and I looked back at him.
