“Why are you doing this, King?”
“I thought you’d be hungry.”
I smile and roll my eyes. He’s a smart man. He knows what I meant. “Okay, why are you doing all this for Eli and me?”
He licks his spoon and then lays it on the empty plate. His other hand is stretched out on the top of the table, and I swear if I moved my hand an inch to the left, we’d be touching. He must realize it too. He lifts his hand, and I wait in anticipation as he covers mine with his own. “I like you, Natalie. I want to spend more time with you.”
I take a second, enjoying the warmth of his big hand over mine. How can one touch make me feel so protected? But no matter how good it feels, it won’t last. I know that better than anyone. “It’s not a good idea, King.”
He’s going to disagree with me. I can see it on his face. But before he can, Eli comes back into the kitchen. King pulls his hand back, and I continue to eat. “You ready, Mom? What about you, King? You want to stay and watch the Andy Griffith Show with us?”
“Eli, I’m sure that King needs to get back to the ranch.” I’m nodding my head, giving King an out. The longer he sits here, the more I want him to stay. I want to get to know him and talk to him. It would be so easy to fall for him, but I know I can’t let myself.
King grabs his plate and stands up. “Actually, I’d love to stay. I haven’t watched that in forever.”
I take the plate from King, trying to make sure our hands don’t touch. “You guys go on and get started. I’ll be right there.”
Eli is so excited to have a man in the house he doesn’t give King the chance to stay in here with me. I hear them talking as I start cleaning up and doing the few dishes. I need a breather. Just a little time to myself to prepare and to put my guard up. I’m discovering that with each minute I spend getting to know King, it starts to shatter.
Chapter 10
King
I should have left when Natalie gave me the out. I could have easily said I needed to go to the ranch to do something, but instead I stayed. So now here I sit on the couch with Natalie two cushions away and Eli sprawled on the floor in front of us. The whole thing is giving off a family vibe, and honestly that should scare the hell out of me. But surprisingly, it doesn’t. As a matter of fact, it causes a stir in my chest that I don’t know if I’m ready to analyze just yet.
“So Andy Griffith, huh?” I ask Natalie.
She smirks, glancing over at me and then back at the television. “What about it?”
“Nothing. I mean, I like it. I guess I’m just surprised is all.”
Her eyes widen. “Have you seen what’s on television these days? I figure if I get Eli hooked on this, at least it will have a few moral lessons for him. Plus, I mean it’s just good television.”
She turns toward me and lifts her feet into the couch, tucking them underneath her. She looks so much younger than the first day I met her. Maybe it’s the lack of makeup or the hair in a long braid. Or maybe it’s because she looks more carefree right now. “How old are you?”
She blushes, but before she can answer, Eli laughs. “She’s going to be thirty-one this year. She’s getting old.”
I try to hold in my laugh. “Old? You think thirty-one is old? You must think I’m ancient.”
Eli sits up at that. “How old are you?”
“I’m forty,” I tell him, and Eli’s eyes get even bigger. “Wow! That is old.”
“Eli!” Natalie exclaims.
I laugh, enjoying this more and more. I hold my hands up. “It’s okay. I am getting up there.”
Natalie gives me a pointed look. “You do know that you’re not supposed to ask a woman her age, right?”
I shrug. “That’s the only way I was going to find out.”
She nods as Eli turns around and starts watching TV again. I reach across the couch and run my fingers across her shoulder. She looks at me with her big hazel eyes. “What about you? You think forty is old?”
It’s a loaded question. To Eli, it might sound like I’m asking something simple, but it’s obvious I’m asking her if she thinks I’m too old for her. A ten-year age difference isn’t huge, not in the big scheme of things, but I can’t help but wonder if she feels the same.
She swallows. “I wouldn’t have guessed you were forty.”
I keep rubbing her shoulder, thankful that she’s not tensing up or pulling away. “That’s not what I asked you.”