Page 32 of Falling for the Unexpected

Before any more could be said, Stella started fussing again. By then, we were at her apartment. I followed them up the stairs, carrying the stroller, but I hung back at the door when we reached the top.

“Are you leaving?” Simone asked, holding Stella, who was rubbing her eyes still trying to wake up.

“Yeah, I’ve got a few more things to work on back at the office before I can start my weekend.”

I couldn’t help but notice the look of disappointment on her face. Was she upset that I was leaving? Did she enjoy spending time with me as much as I enjoyed spending time with her? I shook my head to get rid of those thoughts.

“I guess I’ll see you Monday at our meeting,” she said, standing on her toes to plant a kiss on my cheek.

At least I think that was the spot she’d been aiming for, but I turned my head at the same time, and her lips landed on the corner of my mouth instead. Because I was still turning my head, my lips brushed against hers. She jerked back, startling Stella, her face turning pink in an instant. Lips tingling, I stared at her mouth then away and when I looked back, Simone’s eyes had lowered, staring at the ground.

“Thank you for this morning,” she said, her voice shaky, and she wouldn’t look at me, “for everything you’re doing for Stella and me.”

“Um, I… yeah… I-I’ll see you next week,” I stuttered like an idiot, still feeling her lips on my skin, everywhere. “Call or text if anything… for anything…”

“Okay, bye, Kyle. Thanks again for going over the settlement with me,” she said, finally lifting her eyes and meeting mine. There was always a moment when we were together that I felt a deep connection with Simone, and it appeared to be getting stronger the more we saw each other. Did she sense that connection, too, or was it all in my head? And why did my thoughts keep going to places that I had no right to think about?

“Bye, Simone. Bye, Stella,” I said, receiving a smile from the little one.

When I got into my car, I tried to focus on anything other than the way I felt when I was alone with Simone. How could two hours feel so good, so right? I rested my head back, heart beating fast and hard in my chest. We still had a couple more months before all this was over and done with. I had a feeling they were going to be a longest months of my life.

*****

Surf, pizza, beer, and the San Diego Padres’ game were on today’s agenda, but my thoughts kept going back to Simone. Always back to her. This entire weekend, I’d been wrestling with something I could no longer deny.

I had it pretty bad for Simone.

Since Friday, all I could think about was her; our time at the playground, her mouth, pretty much everything about her. I couldn’t lie to myself about what I was feeling anymore. It was a fact, and the sooner I realized that, the easier I could deal with it without causing any damage. How I could reconcile that fact and still act as her lawyer was going to be torture. I also wasn’t entirely sure about Simone’s feelings. She was going through a lot and relying on me. I didn’t want to mistake her behavior for something it wasn’t and ruin a real friendship with her, if that was still in the cards.

“Checked out the waves on the drive over here. They look freakin’ awesome, should be a good day,” Erik stated as we walked down to the water, his surfboard under his arm.

Erik was right. The waves were perfect. Trent and I were on either side of him as we assessed the packed beach, ocean, and ideal weather.

“I checked out the chicks; they looked awesome, too,” Trent added with a smirk.

I had to laugh. His carefree attitude and running commentary pulled me out of my head and into the present. As much as Trent didn’t want a relationship, he sure couldn’t go long without the company of a woman.

“Dude, we’re surfing today, not looking to score with random women.” I didn’t know why I said that. I was usually right there with Trent, but I hadn’t felt the desire for a random hookup in weeks. Longer than that, actually, going on several months. I didn’t dwell on that particular thought.

“Can’t we do both?” Trent teased back, but thankfully, he let the subject drop.

Erik shot me a sidelong glance, which I easily ignored. To avoid any more discussion, I took off toward the waves, Trent shouting his surprise and Erik’s laughter at my back.

We spent the next couple hours in the water. There was nothing like a little ocean therapy to put things in perspective. Once we were finished, we headed back to my house and ordered some pizzas. I turned on the big screen TV while we ate.

“Nervous about tomorrow’s meeting with Brad?” Trent asked around a bite of his pizza.

“Not really,” I said, opening a round of beers for the three of us and placing them on the coffee table.

“I saw Simone at my parents’ house yesterday,” Trent added. “She seemed pretty stressed.”

That comment bummed me out. I didn’t want Simone to feel stressed. I wanted her to feel confident that I would get her through this process. I hadn’t exchanged any words with her since Friday, which felt like an eternity. I’d stopped myself a dozen times from just sending an innocuous message. “Huh, I’ll text her later to make sure she’s good for tomorrow,” I said, the words just slipping out. I paused, throwing a look Trent’s way, but he was engrossed in the game.

Erik, however, was eyeing me suspiciously again. We’d never discussed what he saw at Jim’s birthday party—not that it was necessary since nothing happened that day. Besides, Simone and I had become friends—of sorts.

“That’s probably a good idea. She might have some last minute questions about what to expect tomorrow,” Trent finally said at a commercial break and nodded at me approvingly. Thankfully, he saw my comment exactly as it was, a lawyer helping out their client. “Be right back, I gotta pee,” he announced, hopping off the couch and disappearing into the bathroom down the hallway.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Erik turned toward me and quietly asked, “What the hell is going on with you and Simone?”