Perfectly Unpredictable (8 page)

Kalia sat up with a start, not recognizing
where she was. She heard Mani’s whimper and looked down, and she smiled when
she saw him moving restlessly inside the guitar case.

Her next-door neighbor’s house, she mused. She
hadn’t slept so well in ages. Comfy couch. And she must start saving for air
conditioning. It was such a relief.

“Hungry, little guy?” she crooned as she picked
Mani up.

Her dress wasn’t the most convenient for breastfeeding,
but it had been unusually warm, and her only priority at the time had been to
stay cool. She struggled, trying to pull down a shoulder, but it was too tight.
She lifted it up, but the extra fabric got in the way. Resigned, as Mani’s
cries started to escalate, she lifted the dress over her head and threw it over
the edge of the sofa. Wearing only lace panties, she held Mani against her bare
skin and offered him her breast. He quickly rooted, latched on, and sucked
vigorously.

She sat back, enjoying the feel of the cool
leather. She was a bit embarrassed that she’d fallen asleep. She hadn’t felt
Mani being moved. She hugged him tighter.

The last three nights had been especially
hard. There hadn’t been any guitar playing, and the colic had seemed to go on
forever. And Mani had been even more restless. She wasn’t sure if he was
teething or if it was just too hot, but neither of them got much sleep.

She felt tears prick at the back of her
eyes.

And then she’d barged in on her neighbor
and insisted he play. Scared away his date. Jeez, what had she been thinking? She
didn’t need to add an angry neighbor to the list of relationships she sucked at.
She wondered what time it was. It seemed light out. Her breasts were really
full and tender. Had Mani slept through the night?

As Mani sucked contentedly, she thought
about how the sexy neighbor had introduced her. The gay couple. She winced. She
hadn’t been out much in the neighborhood. Krista had done the shopping and the
gardening, greeted the mailman and newspaper boy, and generally chatted with the
neighbors who popped by. Was that what they had been told? Or did they just
assume? It wasn’t a bad idea. So far, people had been really friendly. They had
dropped off pies and muffins and casseroles, and everything had been gratefully
accepted and eaten.

Maybe Kalia wouldn’t say anything. She had
no intention of getting involved with anyone for a long while. Dating with a
baby at home would be complicated. She had no energy for the complicated.

Mani let go of her breast with a pop. Kalia
patted his back, and when he burped, she snuggled him and put him to the other
breast. He eagerly sucked, resting his little hand on the curve of her breast. Kalia
smiled down, stroking his hair, and then leaned her head back on the sofa and
closed her eyes.

Mack stood watching them from the doorway. He
had thrown on jeans and reluctantly got up when he heard Screaming Baby’s cries,
wondering if they needed the house alarm off to leave. He stopped at the
picture they made.

Gay Momma was beautiful. Sitting almost
naked, completely relaxed on the sofa, with a serene expression, as the baby
sucked at her breast. Ouch, he thought. He was a noisy little one.

He shouldn’t watch, but those breasts, the
tiny waist, the scrap of lace. He had to swallow. Off limits, he reminded
himself. The small fry didn’t look like he would want to share. And neither
would he, he thought uneasily. He rubbed a hand over his face, trying to wipe
away the cobwebs of jet lag and debating whether to leave them or go in. He
sighed. Should’ve sent them home last night.

Kalia looked up at the sound in the
doorway. Her eyes popped open as her smokin’ hot neighbor rubbed his sleepy
eyes. That was under his T-shirt? Oh my. Broad smooth shoulders, a rippling
six-pack, and dark hair that started at his waist and disappeared below the low-slung
jeans. He had the body of a swimmer, all muscle, lean and strong.
Sleepy sex, and yes, I am not gay
.

But she was sitting almost naked on his
sofa, she thought, flustered. She reached for her dress and caught his
attention.

She smiled wanly. “Uh, hi,” she said. The
dress was out of reach, so she looked around for the baby’s blanket.

“Hi,” he said, looking everywhere but at
her.

He walked toward her, and she stilled. He
reached down at her feet and handed her the baby blanket, looking in her eyes
but not saying a word. His gaze swept over her face, looking at her intently,
and then swept down.

He cleared his throat as she draped the
blanket over Mani and her exposed breasts.

“This is awkward,” she said. “I fell
asleep?”

He nodded. “Out like a light.”

“Uh, sorry about that. What time is it?”

“Little after five a.m.”

“Really? Oh that’s great. Mani slept
through the night.” Kalia smiled broadly.

“Congratulations,” he said dryly. “You’re
excited to sleep in until five a.m.?”

She laughed as she lifted Mani to burp and
adjusted the blanket. “Yup. It’s a milestone. Six hours of uninterrupted sleep.
Woohoo!”

Kalia kissed the top of Mani’s head as he
let out a burp. “I should go. He needs to be changed,” she said as she spread
out the blanket on the sofa and set Mani down. She stood up and picked up her
dress, then lifted her arms above her head and slipped it over her head. She
wiggled into it, letting the fabric fall over her bare skin.

She reached down and picked up Mani and his
blanket and then turned to look at her neighbor.

Kalia had become more comfortable with her
body through the whole process with the baby. All the check-ups, labor and
delivery, and breastfeeding had more or less desensitized her to people seeing
her naked. But the look in his eyes made her stop.

“Th-thank you very much for letting us stay
here,” she stuttered. “It was the best sleep I’ve had in a while. The heat was
really starting to get to us. Your air conditioning is heavenly. And that sofa
is very comfortable. The little bed you made for Mani was so cute. I’m so sorry
we overstayed, but it was lovely and quiet.” She backed out of the room. “And
your music is fantastic. The perfect thing for soothing Mani. I can’t tell you
how much I appreciate it,” she rambled. She hated rambling. She shifted Mani to
her other hip. “Well, we should go. Get out of your way. Thanks again. See you
around.” She waved vaguely and left out the front door.

He hadn’t moved. She swallowed. Holy cow. The
real estate agent hadn’t mentioned the best selling feature of her new house –
the sexy next-door neighbor.

A few days later, Kalia pulled into the
driveway, shut off the ignition, and sat. Another grocery shopping trip done. Almost.
She still had to carry in the groceries.

Mani started to fuss. He was in the
backseat, rear-facing in his car seat. He was good while the car was moving,
but as soon as it stopped, he fussed. Same in the grocery cart. No more
perusing the nutrition labels or scrutinizing the produce. Grocery shopping was
a mission. Get in, get what they needed, and get out.

Now she had the usual dilemma. Should she
leave Mani in the car and carry the bags inside, or should she carry Mani
inside and run back out for the groceries?

Probably safer to have him inside first. He
could stay in his car seat. He would probably be screaming a blue streak by the
time she finished carrying everything in, but the thought of someone snatching
him out of the car was far worse.

She opened the door and stepped out.

Mack sat on his front step enjoying the
sunshine and warm breeze. He needed to clear his head after an intense morning.
The song lyrics had been a struggle and then Renee had called. The tour in
Europe looked like a go. They were hammering out dates and terms and would fax
the contract in the next few days.

Mack needed the music. It was as essential
as breathing, and he could play and write all day and not notice the time
passing.

The administrative shit was the opposite. Two
minutes of talking terms and contracts gave him a headache. But if they wanted
to play the music, they needed to iron out the shit. So he did it. In small
doses. Hence the break on the front step, eating an apple and thinking that
procrastination could be addictive. It was very relaxing.

He watched his neighbor pull into her
driveway. Gay Momma looked tired, he thought as she turned off the car and let
her head fall back on the headrest. He supposed it couldn’t be easy dealing
with Screaming Baby day in and day out. The kid was growing and had sprouted a
mop of black hair. He was pretty cute. When he wasn’t screaming.

Gay Momma got out of the car. She opened
the rear door and leaned in to unbuckle Screaming Baby. He was gurgling back as
Gay Momma kept up a running conversation with him. Mack couldn’t make out what
she said, but the small fry seemed to like it. She lifted the car seat, with
the baby in it, out of the car. She stepped back, caught her foot on the edge
of the driveway, and teetered backward.

Mack jumped off the front step and raced toward
her. He watched as Gay Momma, in the midst of falling backward, hugged the car
seat close and, as if someone had pushed her upright, slowly righted herself. He
slid to a stop next to her and put out a hand to steady her, but she had
already caught her balance.

“Oh my God, thank you so much. I thought I
was going to drop him,” she said, looking a bit shaken.

“How did you do that?” Mack asked.

“Do what?”

“Right yourself. You looked like you were
going down and going down hard.”

“It was you. I felt your hand on my back.”
She looked toward his house. “You were fast.”

“It wasn’t me. I was sitting on the front
step and saw you fall. You were up by the time I got here. I’m fast,” he said
with a crooked grin, “but not that fast.”

“Really? But I felt a hand on my back. It
wasn’t you?” she asked with a frown.

“No.” He laughed. “You must have a guardian
angel.”

She looked at him intently. “What?”

“I said you must have a guardian angel. Or
excellent core strength,” he said appreciatively. “Good save, Momma.” He grinned,
and glanced at the baby, who started to fuss. “Here, I can carry him inside for
you.” He reached for the car seat.

“Thanks,” she said, still distracted, and
passed the infant seat to him. “I’ll grab some of the groceries.”

“Watch your step.”

Gay Momma grabbed a bag of groceries and then
moved ahead to unlock the front door and hold it open. “Go on through to the
kitchen in the back. It’s the same layout as your place,” she said, following
him in. “You can set Mani down. I’ll leave him strapped in while I carry in the
rest of the groceries.”

Mani gurgled and squirmed. When his mom walked
away, Mani screwed up his face and let out a howl.

“Whoa, big guy. Relax. She’ll be right back.”

Gay Momma stopped in the doorway and sighed.
“He doesn’t like sitting still.”

Mack nodded sympathetically. “Look, why
don’t you spring him, and I’ll get the groceries.”

“He’s really fine,” Gay Momma reassured him.

Mani howled again.

Mack laughed. “You know how to get what you
want, don’t you, big guy?” He went out and returned with four bags of groceries.
Gay Momma had unbuckled Mani and set him on a blanket on the floor with his
toys. Mani gurgled happily and grabbed a rattle.

“Thanks very much,” she said to Mack. “You
can set them on the counter. You know, I don’t know your name.”

“Mack,” he said. “Mack Challen.” He waited
for the dawn of recognition.

Nothing.

She smiled. “Hi, I’m Kalia. We’ve enjoyed
listening to your music. I know I mentioned this the other day, but it’s the
only thing that soothes Mani when he’s cranky and it helps him fall asleep.”

“Really?” Mack said, laughing. That wasn’t
quite the reaction he’d hoped for with his new song. Maybe their publicist
could use that for the next CD release to increase their fan base. “It’s not
too loud?” The previous neighbors had been a real pain about that.

“No, not at all. We love it.”

“Thanks. Well, you’ll be getting a bit of a
break from it. I’ll be away for a couple of weeks next month.”

Kalia grimaced. “Please don’t tell me that.
I can’t get Mani to sleep unless you play. Two weeks. Ugh. It’ll feel like a
lifetime. Do you think you could record it for me? I could even give you my
cell phone, and we could record it on that.”

Mack imagined the fit his agent would have
if she found out he had pre-released a song and given it away for free.

“Please. It’s my lifeline.”

Mack shifted uncomfortably at her earnest
expression. “I might be able to get you a CD.”

“Really? Thank you. It would mean a lot.”
She gave a wobbly smile, and her eyes filled.

His chest fluttered. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Just a bit sleep deprived,”
Kalia said, trying to hide her face.

Mani shook the rattle, bounced, and babbled.

Kalia glanced at him. “He’s showing off his
musical talent.”

“He looks like a drummer I know,” he said,
thinking of Tuck.

“I should probably feed him before his
starts fussing.”

My cue to go, Mack thought, strangely
reluctant. He nodded. “I’ll drop that CD in your mailbox.”

“Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

“Bye, big guy,” he said to Mani. “Keep
making music. See you around,” he said to Kalia. “I’ll let myself out.”

Kalia picked up Mani and carried him to the
sofa. She loved these quiet moments breastfeeding. It felt like nature’s way of
making sure she slowed down and took a moment to relax.

She stroked Mani’s soft hair. He really was
a good baby. He had settled into a manageable routine. Sleep, eat, poop, and
play. Pretty simple life. Kalia was keeping up and trying to relax and enjoy
him. She was figuring it out. It was a slow process, but each day, she felt a
bit more confident.

She was getting used to being on her own,
too. She missed Krista’s company, but she hadn’t realized how much she’d
fretted about keeping Mani quiet or trying to fit Mani’s schedule to suit
Krista. It was surprisingly less stressful with Krista gone.

The pain and grief of Alexandre’s death was
easing. She still missed him. She sighed. It was getting better. It had eased
down from the someone-ripped-my-heart-out grief to an ache that occasionally caught
her off guard. Sometimes Mani had this twinkle in his eye that set it off. He
had the look of Alexandre, and it could have been a constant sad reminder. But
it wasn’t. It was a comfort. Deep in her heart she felt Alexandre keeping her
and Mani safe. It warmed her to have a guardian angel looking out for her and
Mani.

Idly, she wondered what Alexandre would
think of her neighbor. What did
she
think of him? He was hot. Definitely hot, she thought, picturing him shirtless.
Smokey green eyes and that sexy smile he used sparingly. She loved the way he
talked to Mani.

Yeah, definitely hot.

And he was an amazing guitar player. That
was a lifeline for her and Mani. He wasn’t pushy or aggressive. He was always a
bit wary, just a bit unsure. She liked that. There was just enough disinterest
that she was interested. On the fringes of being interested, she thought as she
lifted Mani up to rub his back until he burped.

Oh, wait. Did Mack still think she was gay?
That might change things, she thought with a chuckle.

She put Mani to the other breast. Didn’t
really matter. She didn’t see dating any time soon in her future. That would
take more energy than she had right now. Plus, she couldn’t leave Mani with a
sitter just yet. He was too little and still breastfeeding. And the ache in her
heart for Alexandre still had to ease up before she could make room for another.

So yeah, if she had more energy, if she
didn’t have to worry about Mani, if she wasn’t still grieving for Alex, and if
Mack didn’t think she was gay, it could definitely work.