He grins. “Agreed. You ready to get in?”
Joey nods and West scoops him up like he weighs nothing, gently strapping him in. Once I’m sure he’s safe, I turn to walk around to the passenger side and bump into West. For the second time, I’m briefly pressed against him, one arm around my waist steadying me, and there’s no mistaking the sharp crackle of electricity.
What the hell is happening to me? I don’t flirt with strange men. Certainly not in front of my son. But as I look up into his handsome face, I realize I feel safe with West. He could be anyone but as a single mom I’ve learned to trust my intuition, and right now I’m not getting any weird vibes.
“I live about ten miles west,” I say once he pulls onto the street. “I really appreciate you getting us home.”
“No problem at all.” He’s driving slowly but navigates the slippery streets expertly.
“You must come from up north somewhere,” I say.
He chuckles. “Minnesota.”
“That’s why you’re so comfortable driving in the snow.”
“Yeah, this is nothing where I’m from.”
“Personally, I prefer summer, but there’s no stopping Mother Nature.”
“Nope.”
“Mommy, are we having stew?” Joey asks.
Hopefully.
I left the crockpot on but I’ve gone well past the ten hours I set it to, which means the meat and potatoes are either incredibly tender or dry as a bone.
“It’s in the crockpot,” I say. “We’ll be home soon, honey.”
“Okay!”
“I hope you don’t live too far,” I say to West.
“Peachtree Heights.”
Not far in miles but a world away from the tiny town I live in.
Peachtree Heights is a wealthy suburb, just off the beaten path so it has a small-town feel even though it’s only about thirty miles from downtown Atlanta. It’s fun to walk around the Peachtree Heights Main Street area on a Sunday afternoon, window shopping or stopping for ice cream. It has a whimsical feel. I can enjoy myself as long as I don’t look at the prices since I can’t afford anything there.
“I’m guessing you’ve spent weekends walking up and down Main Street?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “Actually, I haven’t. Since I play for the Thunder, there’s always something going on. When I have down time, I spend a lot of time with my roommates.”
“How many do you have?” I ask curiously.
“Right now, it’s a zoo,” he says, chuckling. “I had a lot of equity in my house in L.A. so I bought a massive place here. It’s a good investment, but what’s a single guy going to do with five bedrooms? So, I got four roommates. Then Bodi fell in love, so Jayne moved in until their new house is built. There was also some family drama, and she now has custody of her seven-year-old sister, who turned my den into her room. It’s a very, very full house. But it’s okay because we’re all good friends and Lindy’s a sweet kid.”
“That sounds nice.” Is my voice a little wistful? I feel like I know these people, which is ridiculous.
What is it about this guy that makes me feel vulnerable?
“It is. What about you? Is it just you and Joey?”
“Yeah.” I hesitate. I don’t like to talk about my life because it’s kind of embarrassing.
“Is his dad in the picture?”
That makes me snort. As if. “No. My parents are gone. I have some aunts, uncles and cousins in South Georgia but there’s nowhere to work where they are, so it’s just Joey and me.”