with the customers, joking with Arlene. My ears ring with the silence once Max is down and with a chest full of feelings I’ve got nowhere to go with, I need some distraction. It wouldn’t hurt to get away from Clint a bit too, since even with his lacking conversational skills, I find myself wanting to jump him. I don’t like being on this side of the fence. Christ, I’m a mess. It hasn’t even been a week since I basically forced myself on him, and here I’m already trying to get away. It’s not like he’ll need me much longer, I’m sure. He just uses the cane now outside, and although a bit wobbly at times, nothing at all in the house. All I do now anyway is cooking, cleaning, and laundry. Kind of like a glorified housekeeper for a very, very grumpy man. A different man than the one who’d chat, charm, and make friends everywhere, despite his foot-in-mouth disease.
His head lifts again and he tilts it slightly.
“Diner?” he says with a hint of smile on his face.
Well, alleluia! There’s life in there after all. I plaster a moderate smile on my face to hide the inner jumping up and down I’m doing.
“Yeah. We’ll take Max, see if Katie and Mattias will meet us there because the boys were gonna have a ‘play-date’ anyway this afternoon, and we can head into Cortez to see Kendra right after lunch?”
With the clinic not scheduled to open until after the weekend, Kendra had suggested yesterday he come into the care facility where she is finishing out her week. She wants to ‘push his limits’ a bit and says she needs her equipment to do that. Thinking I could use the time to stock up on some stuff we’re running low on, I think about calling Katie to take her up on her offer to take Max for the afternoon.
Katie was a security specialist for GFI before Mattias was born, but now she chooses to stay at home with him. Oh, she still works, but mostly tech support while one or more of the guys are working a case. Having already offered, I have no doubt she’ll say yes.
“Miss it?” he asks, surprisingly attuned.
“I do,” I admit honestly. Mainly ‘cause I suck at lying. “But with Max here now too, working would be complicated.”
Clint shrugs his shoulders as he leans back in his chair, his attention now fully focused on me.
“Maybe—maybe not. Why don’t you give Katie a call, see if she’ll meet us and we’ll check out how the diner is managing without you.”
I waste no time and in short order have Katie on board, Max’s stuff packed up for the afternoon, and am ready by the front door. Clint chuckles as he walks up to me, cane in hand, ripped jeans hanging off his hips, and a flannel shirt over a white Henley perfecting the picture of rugged mountain man. Together with his sheer size, the old cowboy hat he’s taken to wearing outside perched on his bald head, greying scruff complete with fucking dimple, he takes my breath away. The cane doesn’t do anything to minimize his impressive appeal. I find myself staring slack-mouthed when Max, who’s sitting on my arm, slaps his tiny hand on my cheek, snapping me out of it.
“Gammy go?”
“Little guy seems as excited as you are to get out of here,” his voice rumbles. The sound of it travels right down between my legs causing me to clench them together. A squirming little body in my arms reminds me how inappropriate my ungrandmotherly thoughts are, and propels me out of the door without a word.
“Here, I can take the bag,” Clint says from behind me, tugging lightly on the strap over my shoulder, and I can feel the light brush of his fingers over my shoulder right through the layers of my clothing. While he stops to hoist the diaper bag on his own shoulder and lock the door, I’m already opening the car door to strap Max in his seat. When I straighten up and attempt to step back to close the door, I bump into a large body.
“A gentleman would’ve offered to do that for you, but when you bend over with that fine ass on
His head lifts again and he tilts it slightly.
“Diner?” he says with a hint of smile on his face.
Well, alleluia! There’s life in there after all. I plaster a moderate smile on my face to hide the inner jumping up and down I’m doing.
“Yeah. We’ll take Max, see if Katie and Mattias will meet us there because the boys were gonna have a ‘play-date’ anyway this afternoon, and we can head into Cortez to see Kendra right after lunch?”
With the clinic not scheduled to open until after the weekend, Kendra had suggested yesterday he come into the care facility where she is finishing out her week. She wants to ‘push his limits’ a bit and says she needs her equipment to do that. Thinking I could use the time to stock up on some stuff we’re running low on, I think about calling Katie to take her up on her offer to take Max for the afternoon.
Katie was a security specialist for GFI before Mattias was born, but now she chooses to stay at home with him. Oh, she still works, but mostly tech support while one or more of the guys are working a case. Having already offered, I have no doubt she’ll say yes.
“Miss it?” he asks, surprisingly attuned.
“I do,” I admit honestly. Mainly ‘cause I suck at lying. “But with Max here now too, working would be complicated.”
Clint shrugs his shoulders as he leans back in his chair, his attention now fully focused on me.
“Maybe—maybe not. Why don’t you give Katie a call, see if she’ll meet us and we’ll check out how the diner is managing without you.”
I waste no time and in short order have Katie on board, Max’s stuff packed up for the afternoon, and am ready by the front door. Clint chuckles as he walks up to me, cane in hand, ripped jeans hanging off his hips, and a flannel shirt over a white Henley perfecting the picture of rugged mountain man. Together with his sheer size, the old cowboy hat he’s taken to wearing outside perched on his bald head, greying scruff complete with fucking dimple, he takes my breath away. The cane doesn’t do anything to minimize his impressive appeal. I find myself staring slack-mouthed when Max, who’s sitting on my arm, slaps his tiny hand on my cheek, snapping me out of it.
“Gammy go?”
“Little guy seems as excited as you are to get out of here,” his voice rumbles. The sound of it travels right down between my legs causing me to clench them together. A squirming little body in my arms reminds me how inappropriate my ungrandmotherly thoughts are, and propels me out of the door without a word.
“Here, I can take the bag,” Clint says from behind me, tugging lightly on the strap over my shoulder, and I can feel the light brush of his fingers over my shoulder right through the layers of my clothing. While he stops to hoist the diaper bag on his own shoulder and lock the door, I’m already opening the car door to strap Max in his seat. When I straighten up and attempt to step back to close the door, I bump into a large body.
“A gentleman would’ve offered to do that for you, but when you bend over with that fine ass on
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