The Atonement (The Arrangement, #3)(14)

“Oh, I’m sorry. I thought—”

“Well, they’re living here right now, anyway,” my mother said, batting her eyelashes at him and swatting his arm. He still hadn’t taken his eyes off of me. I looked away. “I was just telling Matt that you work at a bank downtown. He worked in banking, too. Can you believe that?”

“Small world,” I said halfheartedly, running my hands through Maisy’s hair to keep myself busy.

“He’s from California,” Maisy told me, her eyes as wide as if she’d said he was from the moon. “He used to live at the beach.”

“Near the beach,” he corrected, then took a step closer to me. His voice lowered, as if he were only speaking to me. “And I used to work in banking, but not anymore. It was great, though.” He paused, waiting for me to respond, but I had nothing to say. I took a step back, keeping myself between him and Maisy. Finally seeming to notice my discomfort, he backed off, turning his attention back to my daughter. “Anyway, I was just telling Maisy about the time I walked right past Tom Hanks and had no idea until I got home and realized why he looked so familiar. I just waved at him like he was some random guy.”

Maisy laughed again. “Can you imagine?” She sighed, biting into a frozen peach from the bowl in front of her. “No one famous ever comes around here.”

“We live outside of Nashville, and we’re here all the time.” I gestured around us, though it wasn’t really true. I was in Nashville daily for work, Peter too, but the kids only came if it was for something specific or if we were visiting my parents. “Plenty of famous people live near us,” I told her.

“Yeah, but we never see them. And, even if you do, Nashville has this unspoken rule that you can’t approach them. My friend saw Taylor Swift at the mall once and no one even believes her.”

“They’re just normal people, Maise.” I stepped closer, resting my hands on the counter. “Same as you and me.”

“You should listen to your mom. That’s a way cooler way of looking at it than I did,” Matt agreed, pointing at me, though I didn’t need him to back me up with my own daughter. I shot a steely glance his way, and he lowered his hand and averted his eyes, his own cheeks flushing pink. He scratched the back of his neck. “Anyway, I’m sorry to have interrupted. I just wanted to come by and introduce myself and say if you need anything, let me know.”

“Well, you weren’t interrupting at all. Are you sure you won’t have some sangria before you go? I just made a fresh pitcher.” My mom was practically unrecognizable, smiling and fawning all over this stranger.

“Oh, no, thank you though. It sounds delicious, but I’ve got to get back to unpacking. I just happened to see you outside and thought now was as good a time as any. And I wanted to warn you about Sampson, too. If he ever gets annoying, just let me know. This is the first time he’s had a yard, so I’m sure he’ll be excited for a few days, but I’ll do my best to keep him quiet.”

“Oh, he’s no bother at all. I just love dogs.”

This was the same mother who’d once told me we could never have animals because they brought “fleas, worms, and filth” wherever they went.

“Sampson’s a Great Dane.” Maisy filled me in.

I nodded, unsure of what to say and ready for this stranger to get out of this house.

He stepped back, moving away from the counter with a final nod. “Alright, well, it was great to meet you, Adele.” He shook Maisy’s hand. “Maisy.” Then he locked eyes with me again, suddenly too close. “So nice to meet you, Ainsley. I’m…I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around.”

I nodded, uncharacteristically at a loss for words.

Luckily for me, Mom was having no such shortage. “So nice to meet you, Matt. I didn’t ask, but is that short for Matthew?” She was at his side in an instant, eager to stop his attempts at escape.

“Nah, it’s short for Leonard.”

Mom hesitated and Matt guffawed, much to Maisy’s delight. “Sorry, yeah, it’s for Matthew.”

“Leonard would be cool,” Maisy said.

“Maisy’s cooler.” He patted her head.

“Mom, you want to walk Matt out?” I asked abruptly, interrupting their laughter.

“That’s not necessary.” Matt tucked his hands in his pockets. “Sorry, again, for…interrupting.” He held my gaze for a half second more, something warm in his eyes that made me feel dizzy, then turned toward the living room.

“Don’t be silly. Of course I’ll walk you out.” Mom rounded the island and crossed the room.

He chuckled, waiting for her to catch up with him. “They warned me about this Southern hospitality, Ms. Adele.”

“Oh, just Adele, please.” She took hold of his arm, leading the way toward the door. To my dismay, he looked back at me over his shoulder just once more, catching me watching him, and offered a small smile and a wave.

I turned my attention to Maisy, and once they’d left the room, I ran a hand through her hair again, unsure of what to say.

“Are you okay? You look like you’re going to be sick,” she said, taking another bite of her peach.

I touched my cheeks, the warmth of them burning my palms. “I could ask you the same thing. Is everything okay here?”