Chapter 23

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Troy

After spending most of the day with Anna, it's hard to know I won't get to see her until her workday ends on Monday.

I stay at her place until fairly late Sunday evening, giving and receiving another orgasm after dinner, but when it's clear she's getting sleepy, I decide I should head back to the cabin. As much as I wouldn't mind staying the night, that wasn't planned ahead of time, and for my organized, plan-ahead Anna, I think that's necessary. She dances around the idea of inviting me to stay over, but I can tell it isn't something she feels really comfortable with. Not right now, anyway.

So I kiss her thoroughly and leave her wrapped in a soft robe, feeling unaccountably lonely as I drive back to the cabin.

The place is quiet, only the porch light and the dim light over the stove left on to light my way. I'm a little surprised that I don't see Dozer and Jenny either in the living room or out on the back porch, though after their antics last night, at least they're being respectful tonight. As much as I wanted to see Anna today, I was also glad to have an excuse to escape the tension.

But I'm restless and out of sorts now that I'm here. Normally, I'd go for a jog or head to my workout room when I feel like this, but that's not an option here. It's too dark and the roads too windy for a jog to be safe, and there's no workout room in the cabin. Instead, I pace my bedroom for a few minutes, then do some basic calisthenics—pushups, standing split squats, various crunches—and that helps enough that I can strip down to my boxers and climb into bed.

I pull out my phone, hoping for a text from Anna, but there's nothing. Not surprising, really. She was heading to bed when I left. I assume she's already asleep.

Rubbing my chest, I flip mindlessly through a few apps, but nothing holds my attention. Shutting my phone off, I set it down, becoming aware that I'm rubbing my torso the way Anna did. It felt so good having her hands on me like that, and my dick twitches in my boxers.

I slip my hand inside and give a few experimental tugs before stopping. That's not really what I want right now. I don't need release—I had two orgasms earlier today, after all. What I want is to be cuddling with Anna still.

I'm aware that it's way too early to be having such strong feelings, but the fact is, I am. And even if I could help it, I don't want to. I haven't felt this way about anyone in so long, and it feels good to feel this way. I'm enjoying it, even this part where I miss her.

The next morning, I'm greeted by Shelby as soon as I make it downstairs. She's standing at the base, hopping up and down, already in her swimsuit.

"Throw me in the lake some more today, Uncle Troy?" she whispers, then casts a quick glance at her mom, who smiles at her.

I scoop her up and swing her over my shoulder, making her squeal, which earns me a glare from Tina. Raising my eyebrows, I set Shelby on the couch next to Noah, who's standing and hopping, reaching for me too. "Course I'll throw you in the lake, Shelb," I answer in a whisper. "What about you, Noah? You want me to toss you too?"

Eyes wide, he nods, sucking on his sippy cup.

"Why are we whispering?" I ask Shelby.

"Mommy says we have to be quiet in the mornings." Hopping off the couch, she scampers over to her mom and hugs her legs. "Sorry for squealing, Mommy. Uncle Troy surprised me, and I couldn't help it."

"It's okay, baby," Tina whispers, patting Shelby's back. "I understand. Uncle Troy should know better, shouldn't he?"

Shelby nods solemnly, blinking at me owlishly as I head to the kitchen for coffee. "And why should Uncle Troy know better?" I don't whisper this time, but keep my volume quiet still.

Tina jerks her head toward Dozer and Jenny's room. "They're upset about the kids waking up early and making noise."

I make a face. "So what? We're all supposed to tiptoe around them because Dozer didn't realize what a family vacation was?" This time, I don't bother keeping my voice down at all. "That's ridiculous. It's after eight. The kids are just being normal kids. It's not like they're setting off fireworks outside their window or blasting music. Or, I dunno, drunkenly shouting late at night when they're old enough to know better." That last part, I pitch extra loud—not quite shouting, but loud enough to carry—hoping that Dozer and Jenny hear it.

Tina buries her smile in her cup of coffee, and I hold up the carafe, silently offering her a refill while Shelby looks at me, eyes huge and round.

"Uncle Troy," she hisses. "You're being so loud! We're s'posed to be quiet."

Shrugging, I give her an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Shelb." I'm still talking in my normal voice, though. "I know you have to listen to your mommy and daddy, but my mommy and daddy live in Wisconsin. They're not here to tell me what to do, so I'm going to talk in my normal voice."

Tina holds up her hands in surrender. "Nick insisted we do our best to be nice."

Rolling my eyes, I shake my head. "I get he's trying to keep the peace, but I don't feel obligated to be considerate to people who aren't considerate to anyone else. We all have the right to use the common areas. If Dozer and Jenny weren't causing problems, I wouldn't mind all of us keeping relatively quiet until everyone's up. But if they can't follow the rules of basic decency, I'm not sure why we need to go out of our way to be extra quiet."

Tina nods, but still speaks quietly. "I made the same argument." Standing, she moves closer, and this time she whispers, though it's clearly more to keep the kids from hearing than out of respect for Dozer and Jenny. "Honestly, I'm pretty sure that Nick told Dozer that if there are any more problems, they can both leave. I like Dozer. He's a good guy. But I don't think we're going to invite him on another trip like this."

"Probably wise," I murmur. "Or if you do, make it clear that last minute plus-ones aren't allowed. It'd be one thing if they were in an established relationship and had been together for a while, but this isn't the kind of trip you bring a hook-up along for."

"Preaching to the choir, friend." She pats my shoulder. "At least I don't have to worry about you being inappropriate. Speaking of"—she slides back into her seat at the breakfast bar and props her chin on her hand, a wicked grin taking over her face, eyes dancing—"you were out late last night. I take it you had a good evening?"

As ridiculous as it is, the tips of my ears go hot and I'm sure my cheeks are pinker than normal at her question. Anna must be rubbing off on me. Clearing my throat, I sip my coffee. "Yes. A very good evening."

"Good for you."

"What'd you do, Uncle Troy?" Shelby asks, reminding both Tina and me of her presence.

"Oh, well, uh, I hung out with my new friend Anna. You met her the other night. We went for a walk downtown and then we watched TV at her house."

"Oh, I like watching TV. You should invite her over here to watch TV with us. We could watch Bluey !" As she talks, her volume increases, and she nearly shouts the last.

Tina reaches for her. "Shhh, sweetie. Remember, we're playing the quiet game this morning."

Shelby mimics her mother, hunching her shoulders and holding her index finger to her lips. "Right. Sorry, Mommy! I'm trying so hard to be quiet."

"You're doing great." Reaching down, Tina gives her daughter a quick hug. "I know it's hard to keep quiet for this long. I'm proud of you for doing your best."

Shelby beams at her mother's reassurance and turns back to me. "Do you think she'll come?"

I glance at Tina out of the corner of my eye, and she just shrugs, effectively telling me that I'm on my own with this one. "Well, Anna has to work today, so I can't ask her until later. I'll let you know what she says."

Clapping her hands, Shelby bounces with excitement. "Oh, I hope she says yes."

Tina ruffles Shelby's hair. "I think we all do," she whispers. "Why don't you go watch Bluey with Noah for now, though."

"Okay!" she chirps, hugging her mom's legs one last time before scampering away.

Tina waits for her to get settled on the couch before turning back to me, eyes twinkling again. "Is that really what happened yesterday?"

Shrugging, I nod. "Yeah. She showed me around downtown, which was the plan." I fill her in on the art festival and root beer floats and heading back to Anna's place.

"Well, that all sounds really promising. You two are so cute and wholesome, it's enough to make me sick."

I give her a disgruntled look. "Sweet and wholesome shouldn't make you sick. That's their job." I jerk my head in the direction of Dozer's room.

Tina chuckles. "Okay, fine. You're right. Although, I wouldn't say they make me sick so much as furious. But that's another rant for another time. You better eat some breakfast and change into your swim shorts. The kids are gonna want to head down to the water soon. And since it'll mean I don't have to constantly shush them, the sooner the better, in my opinion."

I give her a mock salute, and she punches me in the arm in retaliation. Grinning, I refill my coffee and pour myself a bowl of cereal. Waiting to talk to Anna might feel like torture, but playing with the kids will definitely help pass the time.