The Acceptance
Page 16

As she pulled back she pressed the button on her phone and raised it to her ear. She didn’t say anything, but he could hear her mother’s voice on the other end. As she climbed out he could hear her say, “Yes, Mother. I know, Mother.”
He wanted to walk her up, but she seemed just fine. From the back of the little purse she’d carried at the funeral she pulled her cane out and walked up the front steps as he figured she’d done a million times before.
With her cane tucked under her arm she searched for her keys. She slid them in the door and disappeared into the dark house.
Out of instinct he waited for lights to turn on, but they never did. No, Courtney Field didn’t need lights to see the world, he thought as he put the car into drive. She saw more than anyone he’d ever known—himself included.
Chapter Nine
The rose was still fragrant and Courtney rolled it between her fingers, under her nose. Tyler had made one of the worst days of her life tolerable.
Her mother, on the other hand, had easily solidified it back to one of the worst days with one phone call. It had taken them nearly three hours to notice she’d left. She hadn’t asked if Courtney was okay. She hadn’t even asked where she was. She’d led in with, “Did you leave the house?” and, “You were supposed to be my support.”
Courtney couldn’t help but wonder, if she was supposed to have supported her, how was it that it had taken so long to realize she wasn’t even there?
As she’d assumed, her mother said she’d be over the next morning at nine to go through Fitz’s things. Courtney would have liked to have held off just a bit. There were items she’d like to keep. Things that meant something to her and her mother would never know. This was one of those times when her sight hindered her from just doing what she wanted. She couldn’t see those items.
Courtney leaned toward her nightstand and pressed the button on her clock. It told her it was eleven o’clock p.m. She’d managed to wallow in the house, alone, for hours. Her mind buzzed with thoughts of her mother arriving in ten hours. She wasn’t tired at all.
Reaching toward her nightstand again she picked up her phone and held it in her hands. There were friends not too far away, they’d come over if she asked, right? But at that moment she couldn’t think of one that she’d want to be with. Cousins? No. She didn't even have any of those.
There was only one choice.
Tyler processed the noise. That was his phone ringing on his dresser. What the hell time was it?
He kicked off the sheet and got to his feet. Shuffling through the room with his eyes closed he found his phone on what he knew would be the last ring.
“Yeah?” His voice cracked as he’d said it.
“Oh, I woke you. Tyler, I’m so sorry. I’ll talk to you…”
“Courtney?” His eyes were fully open now.
“Yes. I’m sorry.”
He scrubbed his hand over his face. “No. Don’t be sorry. What time is it?”
“It’s eleven.”
“Eleven? Geeze, I’m becoming an old man. I’ve been asleep for hours. I guess today wore me out.” He walked to the bed and sat down on the end of it. “Is everything okay?”
She didn’t answer right away and that worried him.
“Everything is fine. I really shouldn’t have called.”
“I think I told you on the plane to call anytime.”
She let out a weak laugh. “You did.” He heard her suck in a breath. “Okay, the reason I’m calling is that I want to go through my brother’s things.”
Tyler wanted to laugh but he forced it back. This wasn’t the time. “Didn’t you say you thought your mother would want to do that?”
“Yes. And she’ll be here at nine in the morning.”
“You did say she’d do that.”
“But there are things I want to keep. Parts of him she will box up and I’ll never find them. But, Tyler, I need a set of seeing eyes. I can’t find the items I want.”
“You need help before she gets there?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll be over in a half hour.”
The doorbell rang exactly a half hour after Courtney had called. He’d come. He’d said he would and he had.
Courtney walked to the door. “Tyler?”
“Yes, it’s me,” he said from the other side of the door.
She pulled it open. “Thank you for coming.”
“My pleasure.”
“Come in.” She stepped back and felt him brush by her as he walked through the door. “I’ll try to not keep you long. I just need to do this for my own peace of mind.”
“I understand.” She felt his fingers take her hand and give it a squeeze. “Do you mind if I turn a few lights on?”
She laughed. “Of course. Fitz used to say the same thing. He was forever bumping into things. Nothing in this house ever moved, but he could run into it.”
She heard the click of the lamp on the end table and could see the adjustment in light.
“Thanks. Okay, what do we need to do?” he asked.
“Right. Let’s get started. You’ll need to be getting back to bed. I shouldn’t have awakened you. It was selfish of me and…”
He’d moved to her and his hands were on her hips. She could feel his breath on her cheek and then his lips pressed against hers.
Tyler’s lips were soft and his mouth tasted of mint. He’d brushed his teeth before he’d come and she found it endearing. Perhaps he’d wanted to come. Perhaps he’d had plans to kiss her, too.
What was she doing letting him kiss her? Her brother had died and she’d buried him. He was here to help her. And—as her parents would see it—he was a stranger.
But as she lifted her arms around his neck and he deepened the kiss she found she didn’t care.
She’d met him only days ago on a flight that was a mere few hours. But she’d spent nearly the whole day with him today and he’d kissed her over and over. What did it mean when in such a short time she was so comfortable around him?
This had never happened to her before. And though she enjoyed the game of trying to get the attention of men by dropping her scarf, she’d never caught one.
Tyler pulled back. “I shouldn’t do that to you,” he said as he pressed his forehead to hers.