All Grown Up(54)

His dirty notes had me smiling like a teenager who’d just been passed one from the cute boy in class. A Backstreet Boys song came on the radio, reminding me of the day I’d walked out on the deck and found Ford playing their album. Sighing with contentment, I grabbed the coffee beans out of the refrigerator and ground them, sporting the goofiest grin.

When the loud whirling sound stopped, a voice startled me. “Someone’s happy this morning.”

The smile fell from my face. Ryan. My ex-husband stood in the doorway of the kitchen. I hadn’t heard him come in.

I crossed my arms over my braless chest. “What the hell? How did you get in here?”

He shrugged and held up a key. “I let myself in.”

“You can’t do that.”

“I just did.”

“I’m not dressed.”

Ryan’s eyes roamed over my bare legs. “Nothing I haven’t seen before. But you’re looking good, Val. Did you start exercising again?”

I hated the way he looked at me—like he was allowed to. I pushed past him and snatched a throw blanket from the living room couch. Wrapping it around my body, I pulled it tight to hold it closed. “You don’t just walk into someone’s house.”

His eyes narrowed. “It’s not someone’s house…it’s my house.”

With the shock of finding someone in the house, Ryan of all people, I totally forgot someone else was also here. Ford jogged down the stairs wearing only a pair of jeans with the top button opened. His hair was wet from the shower. I watched as his smile disappeared when he saw my ex-husband standing in the kitchen.

Ryan turned, hearing someone behind him. Ford froze at the bottom of the stairs, and his eyes darted from Ryan’s to mine.

I panicked and blurted out the first thing that popped into my head. “Ummm… Ford is fixing the pipe upstairs in the shower.”

The minute the words left my mouth, I knew Ford wouldn’t be happy. His jaw flexed, and he stared at me.

Ryan shook his head and looked disgusted. “The boy next door is fixing the pipes while you’re walking around half naked? What the hell, Val? Are you trying to lure the poor kid?”

I felt the anger radiating from Ford, and I wanted to kill Ryan for creating this situation. I chose to lash out at the cause of problem. “Why are you here, Ryan? It’s not even noon, and you said the contractor wasn’t coming until two.”

“Traffic was light, and I figured I’d check that leaky pipe in the kitchen.”

“Ford already fixed it.” I pulled the blanket around me even tighter. “Can you please go outside while I get dressed?”

Ryan’s eyes narrowed. “This is my house.”

“It’s not your year. Matter of fact, neither is next year since you took the last two. You need to get out right now.”

A cell started to ring. Realizing it was his, Ryan grumbled something and dug it out of his pocket as he walked toward the front door. He slammed it closed behind him. The entire floor shook in his wake.

I walked over to Ford and raised my hands to touch his chest, but he took a step back, out of my reach. “The boy next door? I’m fixing the pipes?”

“I’m sorry. I was just caught off guard, and…I just don’t want him in my business.”

Ford’s jaw may have been rigid with anger, but I could see the hurt in his eyes. “Sure.”

“Ford…”

He shook his head. “I gotta go.”

“Wait…I didn’t…”

The door slammed shut a second time, and I stood alone in the living room, wrapped in a blanket and still wearing Ford’s shirt.

God, I really fucked up.

***

“You want to grab some lunch at the Lobster Roll?”

“No.”

My ex-husband seemed genuinely confused. His forehead wrinkled. “Why not?”

“Because I have things to do.”

I’d been sitting on the back deck the last twenty minutes. The contractor had come and gone, and Ryan had insisted on checking the kitchen sink to make sure the leak was fixed properly, even though I’d told him it worked fine.

“You don’t look busy to me.”

I glared at him. “How do you think Kaylee will feel about you having lunch with your ex-wife?”

“It’s Kayla. And it’s over. She went to India to study yoga for a few weeks and decided to stay. Met some rich tech guy.”

“What a shame.”

I looked up and saw a different man than I used to see. Ryan had aged and gained some weight. His hairline had started to recede, and he’d grown his hair out in a failed attempt at modern hair that wasn’t thinning. Two years ago, I’d never thought the day would come when I’d look at him and not miss our life together. When he’d walked out on me, I’d thought my life was over.

But it wasn’t. Turns out it was finally getting started. It had taken me a long time to get here, but I was over Ryan—like, so damn over.

“Come on…you love those lobster rolls. It’ll be like old times.”

“I do love them. But I can go enjoy them on my own…and be in better company.”

Ryan rubbed the back of his neck. “Fine. Whatever. I should get on the road before rush-hour traffic anyway. I’ll be in touch about scheduling the construction.”