Patty Salier - Non-Refundable Groom

“You don’t have to,” she said, surprised.

“I want to.”

She didn’t know what to say. She was so used to handling her own problems and helping out her sister and nephews that she forgot what it was like to be taken care of.

“Do you live near your sister?” Garrett asked as he drove.

“My apartment’s about ten to fifteen minutes away at One Hundred Rochester Drive.” She abruptly stopped, realizing he hadn’t asked for her address.

He glanced at her and smiled, as though he knew she’d given her address so he could ask her out.

“Are you at your sister’s place a lot?” he pursued. “Or are you at home in the evenings and on weekends?”

“Most Saturdays and Sundays, I’m over at my sister’s. I’ve been helping out ever since her husband passed away,” she replied. “During the week, I usually work late hours.”

“Every night?” His sexy eyes held hers. “Don’t you set aside time for pleasure?”

“My life’s too busy,” she quickly replied, glancing away.

How could she tell him that she hadn’t dated since her ex-boyfriend because she didn’t know if she could ever trust a man’s word again?

She spotted Van Dyke Elementary School up ahead. “There’s my nephews’ school.”

Garrett parked his Mustang at the curb and watched Elena hurry out of the car toward the throng of laughing and chattering children.

He knew he’d upset her. Why had he asked such personal questions? He hadn’t meant to. Yet, he couldn’t help wanting to know everything about her.

“Bennie! Tod!” he heard her call out to two little boys, one taller than the other.

“Aunt Elena, where’s Mom?” asked the little boy with the dirt-smudged face, who was running toward her with a backpack and a boxed juice in his hand.

As Garrett watched her give her nephew a warm hug, a feeling of sadness washed over him. A wife and children of his own were a dream he’d had a time ago. But not now, not after the trauma of his divorce. He knew that marriage didn’t work for him.

“Aunt Elena, will Mom be home when we get there?” asked the older, taller boy, who seemed more mature and serious.

He heard her explain the situation as she took their hands and led them to his car.

“Garrett, I’d like you to meet Bennie,” she began as they reached the car. “He’s six years old and—”

“Smart!” Bennie spoke up for himself.

Garrett laughed. “How are you, Bennie?”

“And this is Tod,” she went on. “He’s nine and a fine baseball player.”

“I’m a catcher!” Tod said proudly.

“Great position.” Garrett shook his hand. “I’m a pitcher on a baseball team with my friends during my spare time.”

“You are?” The older boy’s eyes lit up. “Curve balls or windups?”

“Both,” he replied. “Hop into the back, guys.”

As he opened the door for Elena, she whispered, “You’re great with kids.”

“So are you,” he told her, feeling an inner connection to her that he’d never felt with a woman before.

“Are you my aunt’s new boyfriend?” Bennie asked, wide-eyed.

He noticed Elena’s cheeks turn scarlet as he gunned the engine.

“Garrett works at the same company I do,” she told him.

“Do you car pool to work together?” Bennie further inquired.

“I don’t even know where Garrett lives,” she said, her blue eyes on him.

“My apartment is in Santa Monica,” he told her.

“We live so close,” she said.

Thoughts of asking her out rushed into his brain, but he squashed them down, knowing she deserved more than he could give her.

“Where do you play baseball, Garrett?” Tod asked, picking up Garrett’s mitt from the back seat of the car.

“During the week, I practice at night at the Santa Monica baseball field,” he replied. “Where do you play, Tod?”

“At the Westside Little League field,” he said proudly and then added in a voice for only him to hear. “Maybe you can come with Aunt Elena and see me play sometime.”

He glanced at Elena, wanting to say he would so he could be with her again. But he knew that he could never get that deeply involved in her life.

“My sister’s house is two blocks down,” she told him, interrupting his thoughts.

“Sure thing,” he said, suddenly conscious of their ride being almost over and not wanting to leave her.

He parked the car, and just as he pulled the front seat forward for the kids to get out, Bennie popped the straw out of his boxed juice. Dark purple liquid shot straight onto Garrett’s snowy-white shirt and clean tie.

“Oh, no, Bennie!” Elena called out. “Garrett, I’m so sorry!”

“It’s okay, really,” he said. “I’ll drop by my apartment to change before I go to my appointment.”

“Appointment?” she repeated, horrified. “Maybe you’d better come inside. I’ll wash out the stains by hand and throw your shirt in the dryer. It’ll only take a few minutes.”

As she unlocked the front door, Garrett knew he should thank her and leave. He realized that entering her sister’s house would personalize his relationship with her even more. Yet he felt drawn to her in a way that he couldn’t resist.

Elena led Garrett into Jan’s kitchen while her nephews ran into the living room to play. She couldn’t believe she’d invited him inside. She kept telling herself that she felt responsible for his soiled shirt. Yet she knew her invitation meant a lot more to her than that.

“The washer and dryer are in here,” she told him, turning on the light of the tiny, narrow laundry room.

As she went in, she felt Garrett’s body close to hers. “Give me your shirt,” she said, “and I’ll clean off the spots.”

He undid his stained tie and put it on the supply shelf. As he pulled off his shirt, she was superaware of his muscular, bronzed chest and shoulders. She felt the impulse to glide her palms across his bare skin and press her lips...

She quickly turned on the faucet in the sink, hoping he couldn’t see how turned on she was just being near him. She tried to concentrate on rubbing the stain remover into the spots, but all she could think about was his powerful frame only inches from her.

As she put his shirt in the dryer and turned on the knob, she felt his finger gently push a strand of hair from her eyes.

“You’re a beautiful woman, Elena,” he said

She looked up at him, feeling the tenderness of his words. His gaze drifted to her lips. As his mouth neared hers, she saw the laundry room door closing. The lock clicked shut, and the lights went out. Against the whizzing of the dryer, she could hear Bennie giggling outside the door.

“Bennie!” she called out, remembering she’d scolded him the last time he’d locked the door when she was inside.

“Aunt Elena, let’s play hide and seek with Garrett!” he called out.

“We can’t play now.” Her breathing quickened when she felt Garrett tenderly touch her cheek with the side of his thumb. “Bennie, please open the door.”

“I can’t! I’ve gotta go to the bathroom!” Then she heard him run out of the kitchen.

Alone with Garrett in the darkness, her heart thumped against her ribs. She felt his hand slip around her waist and draw her against his bare chest. His lips touched her earlobe, his warm breath on her neck. As his mouth closed over hers, she parted her lips, wanting to feel closer to him.

Just then Tod’s voice bellowed outside the door. “Bennie, why did you lock in Aunt Elena and her friend? That was dumb!”

“You’re dumb!” Bennie shot back.

In the next instant the lock released. The door swung open, and the laundry room lights flashed on. She quickly broke free of Garrett’s arms. Her skin was burning hot. She could barely catch her breath.