CHAPTER FIVE
“Aunt Ivy, what are we doing today?” Tanner looks up at me with wide eyes and I cringe.
Keeping kids entertained is turning out to be harder than I expected.Today’s Friday so it’s the only weekday that isn’t filled with practices and activities to keep the kids busy and I’ve learned that Tanner isn’t happy being cooped up in the house. I completely understand and I know it’s not actually good to keep kids cramped up in the house, but I’m not sure what to actually do to get them out of the house.
I lay my phone down, the bright screen of Instagram going dark. “Sure, bud, what do you want to do today?” Maybe he’ll have better ideas than me.
He presses a finger to his chin, deep in thought and I have to refrain from grinning at the adorable gesture.
He blinks and finally he seems to have an idea as he looks at me. “How about we play in the backyard.”
I really shouldn’t be surprised. Tanner likes to play in the yard any chance he gets, and he doesn’t care whether or not he has someone else to play with him, he’s fully capable of entertaining himself.
“You got it.” I pop up off the couch, running a hand down my jeans. “Go grab your tennis shoes and we’ll go out.” He nods before taking off around the corner.
“No running in the house!” I yell, but I’m not sure he hears me, and I really don’t care about the running, but it seems like the thing that a real parent would say in this situation.
Lilly tugs at my pants and I look down to find her watching me before she lifts her hands for me to pick her up. I sweep her off her feet and she lets out a giggle. “We’re going outside,” I tell her even though I know she can’t quite understand. Grandma says it’s important to talk to her like a regular person to help increase her vocabulary and understanding as she grows, even if I feel a little ridiculous doing it.
I walk down the hall to her room, grabbing a pair of Converse and strapping them onto her feet. I ruffle her brown curls as I take her in. It’s still hot out so she’s dressed in a tee and shorts, but I still worry that maybe it isn’t the right choice of outfit.
Stop doubting yourself, what else would you do? Cover her in long sleeves and have her sweat to death?
I shake my head before grabbing some sunscreen and rubbing it into her skin. Tanner pops his head around the corner and when he sees the sunscreen he tries to go the other way but I grab the end of his shirt. “No sir, you need sunscreen too.”
He lets out a sigh but doesn’t put up a fight, as I squeeze the tube and watch the thick creamy substance fall into his hands. “Rub it in,” I tell him and he follows orders. I hit the spots that he misses before running some over my own arms, legs, and face.
“Okay, let me grab a couple of bottles of water and then we’ll be good.” I grab a couple of cool bottles from the fridge, pouring one in a sippy cup for Lilly. Once I’m done, I open the sliding screen door to the backyard, and we head out into the heat of the summer.
The backyard isn’t obscenely big but it’s big enough to entertain an eight and two year old, so I lounge on one of the chairs as Tanner tosses a ball around and Lilly plays beside my chair.
Tanner repeatedly pitches the ball into the air to himself before striking the ball. He doesn’t miss one and I start to become worried as the balls start to go further and further.
I eye the fence surrounding the backyard and separating us from the neighbors.
There’s no way he’s going to hit it over the fence…
I watch in dismay as the ball soars right over the fence into the yard of the neighbors. “Fuck,” I whisper under my breath. If it wasn’t bad enough that he hit it over the fence, it landed in the yard of the three sexy neighbors I’ve been avoiding. I haven’t seen any of them in the last couple of days, not even Nathan, since he’d missed baseball this week because of emergencies at work according to the assistant coach. I’ve heard doors slamming early in the morning and after peeking out my window once, I found out that it was the cop, usually on his way to report to duty or just getting off. The thin, rude guy, I saw once walk that mammoth of a dog, but other than that… nothing.
I didn’t go over and try to make amends like Patricia suggested and I haven’t felt inclined to.
“Aunt Ivy!” Tanner calls and I let out a groan.
“I know.” I stand, grabbing Lilly who fusses a bit at her playtime being interrupted. “Come on, we’ll go get it.” Tanner has extra balls around, but I don’t want to leave things in the neighbors’ yard. I’ve already gotten off on the wrong foot with them, the last thing I need is a confrontation because of a simple ball.
Lilly wiggles in my arms as I march over next door with Tanner on my heels. I wipe beads of sweat off of my forehead as I ring the doorbell and wait patiently for someone to answer.
A wave of anxiety tries to rear its head, but I push it back with a deep breath as the door swings open. Standing in front of me in all his six foot glory is the cop and he’s shirtless and dripping wet.
Fuck. Me.
He blinks as he looks down at me, running a towel over his wet, dark hair. His muscles move with the motion and I follow it closely. A grin spreads over his face and he throws the towel over his shoulders. A pair of sweats hang off his hips, revealing a happy trail that I try not to stare at. “How may I help you… Ivy, was it?”
I pull my tongue back into my mouth as I meet his amused, brown eyes. “Yes… Ivy,” I say, tucking my lip between my teeth. His abs flex as he shifts against the door frame, leaning a big forearm against it.
He clears his throat and my eyes snap back to his. “Ivy, was there something you needed?” there’s a light air to his voice and I know he’s fully aware I was checking him out and he doesn’t mind one bit.
No toxic environments, Ivy!