If it were physically possible for Justin to kick his own ass, he would.  Mentally, though, he’d been kicking himself ever since the “almost kiss” with Bailey in his mother’s kitchen.  Over and over again he questioned his sanity and he worried that he’d ruined everything he’d been working toward with her.  It had been a few days since that fateful night and he’d avoided talking to her because he was so worried he’d run her off.

He was starting to admit that she was becoming more important than he’d originally intended, and he didn’t want to lose whatever it was they were building.  He liked how he felt when he was around her, and he loved figuring out how to make her smile.  It was dangerous, he knew, but at this point he didn’t really care.

His male brain had officially taken over his rational brain.

“All right, hand in whatever you’ve finished with your essay and stack your notebooks.”  Justin stood from his desk, moving to the front of the room as he directed his students.  “We’ll finish these up next week, and then we’ve only got two more weeks until schools out.”  A few cheers sounded around the room and Justin smiled.  “Have a great weekend, guys.”

Kids started to file out of the room, chatting and laughing as they went.  The room was just about empty when Justin noticed that Carter was hanging around, waiting for the rest of the group to leave before he approached his teacher.  Justin swallowed; reminding himself that here, Carter was just a student.  He couldn’t bring Bailey into his time here.

“Hey, Mr. T.” 

“What’s up, Carter?”  Justin crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against one of the desks.  “Everything okay?”

The boy’s cheeks blushed pink and Justin’s curiosity was piqued.  “Well, I was wondering if you wanted to come over for dinner tonight?”  The young man searched the room, making sure no one was around before he asked his question. 

“Carter…”  Justin’s pulse quickened but he forced himself to stay calm.  “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”  The man inside of him was yelling that Teacher-Justin was being a pansy.

Big blue eyes bore into Justin’s, and all he could think of was Bailey.  Carter had her eyes.  “She wants to see you, Mr. T.  She told me so.”  Carter discreetly crossed his fingers behind his back and sent up an apology for his lie.  It was for a good cause.  “She’s making her lasagna tonight, and she wants you to come.” 

“Really?”  Justin was skeptical, but desperate.  “I don’t want to impose or anything.”

“You won’t be.  She wants you to bring some more of your mom’s pecan pie, too.”  Carter moved toward the door, not wanting to be late to his next class.  “Be there around six, okay?  See you then.”  He waved and slipped out the door, not leaving enough time for Justin to respond.

Carter wasn’t usually one to lie, but his mother had been moping around the house ever since the cook out at Ms. Lynn’s.  He knew it was because she couldn’t stop thinking about Mr. Timberlake, and he was tired of watching her put her life aside for him.  He knew he was risking an ass kicking, but it would be worth it if he could see her happy again.  They were stuck here in Tennessee; she might as well enjoy her stay.

~*~

“What time is Billy’s mom coming to get you again?”  Bailey grabbed a few more items from Carter’s dresser drawers.  She folded them and handed them over to her son, wincing as he stuffed them roughly into the back pack.

“Five-thirty.”  He answered, searching the room for something else he wanted to bring.  “She’ll bring me home tomorrow, after we get back from the game.”  Carter was heading with his friend to baseball game in Memphis, sleeping at Billy’s tonight so they could get on the road early tomorrow.  Bailey wasn’t sure how she felt about him leaving, but she knew she couldn’t keep him with her forever.

“Mrs. Kinney has my numbers, right?  I’ll write them down again just to be sure.”  She headed out of the room, searching for something to write on.  “I’ll have my cell phone on me at all times, you can call whenever.  If you need me to come get you, I can do that, too.”  She called over her shoulder, worry evident in her voice.

Carter grabbed the backpack from his bed, moving toward the kitchen.  He watched his mother with an amused smile on his face.  “Mom, I’m not seven anymore.  I think I can handle a sleep over.”  He moved away from the door frame, dropping his back pack and stopping his mother with a tight hug.  “I’ll be fine, Ma, and so will you.” 

Bailey felt tears prickle at the back of her eyes as she tightly wrapped her arms around her son.  “I know, Bub.  I forget sometimes that you’ve grown up so much.”

“It’s okay, Ma.”  He pulled back and smiled.  “So I talked to Mr. T today.”  He felt his mother stiffen a little, so he moved back and took a seat at the kitchen table.  His face was a mask of innocence.  “He said that his mother had some pecan pie she wanted him to bring over, so he’s stopping by tonight.”

Bailey felt heat rise to her cheeks and her stomach dropped.  “He’s coming over?”  Thousands of thoughts swirled through her head and she wasn’t sure how she felt about this news.  Part of her was excited that he wanted to see her, but the other part was dreading the awkward conversation they were bound to have.

“Yeah, I was thinking you could take that lasagna you’d frozen out for dinner.  I told him about it once and he said he’s been dying to try it.”  Again, Carter felt a small pang of guilt for the lies, but his intentions were true.  He was doing this for his mother’s happiness. 

“Lasagna?”  Bailey gave her son a strange look.  Her nerves were jumping and she couldn’t quite understand what her son was getting at.

“Yeah, you made a double batch and froze one.  I already put it in the fridge to thaw, so you can put it in the oven.”  He paused, waiting a moment before adding his last bit of persuasion.  “It’s only right Ma.  He had you over for dinner, now you can return the favor and you’ll both be even.”

He saw the wheels start to turn in his mother’s mind, her eyes flitting from the refrigerator to the oven to the clock.  If she put the lasagna in the oven now, it would be done shortly after Mr. Timberlake showed up.  Carter had left himself a little wiggle room with the timing, but he didn’t want things to seem too planned out.  He had also planned it for tonight, when he was going away.  As much as he thought his mother needed this, he also knew she was going to skin him alive when she figured out what he’d done.  He was just giving her some time to cool off, so she could realize that he’d helped her out.

“Right, even.  I can do that.”  She was talking more to herself, and Carter knew she was mentally preparing for Mr. Timberlake.

The crunch of tires on gravel sounded outside, followed shortly by the honking of a car horn.  “Mrs. Kinney is here, Mom.  I’ve got to go.”  Carter headed toward the door, followed closely by his mother.

Bailey smiled at Jess Kinney, chatting with her while Carter threw his back in the back of the SUV and climbed into the passenger seat.  “Carter’s got my numbers if you need anything.  Thank you so much for taking him; he’s been talking about this game all week.”

“It’s not problem, Bailey.  He’s a great kid and Billy loves hanging out with him.  I’m hoping some of Carter’s baseball skills might rub off on my son, too!”  The women chatted for a moment longer before Jess backed out of the driveway and headed off.  Bailey stood and waved after the car until she couldn’t see them anymore.  Tears pricked at her eyes again and she inwardly chastised herself for being such a sap.  This was the first time that Carter would be away from her since they moved to Tennessee, though, and she was just being overly-motherly. 

Her heart was heavy as she started to head inside, dreading the night alone.  She didn’t realize how used to Carter’s company she’d become until now.

Stepping inside, Bailey spotted the pan of lasagna sitting on the counter with a note from Carter reminding her to put it in the over.  She laughed out loud.  She was tickled by the fact that her son liked Justin so much.  Thinking about Justin made the butterflies return full force, and she started rushing around in anticipation of his arrival.  After throwing the lasagna in the oven, she jumped in the shower.  She wasn’t sure how she felt about Justin coming over, but either way, she didn’t want to smell bad.

Just as she was toweling off in the bedroom, she heard the tell-tale crunch of tires on the gravel drive.  “Oh, shit.”  She mumbled, standing naked and unsure of what to do.  Justin’s knock came moments later.  “Just a minute!”  She called, grabbing her bathrobe, hastily tying it tightly.

Her cheeks flamed red as she opened the door and Justin’s eyes widened.  “Hey, am I too early?”

“Oh, no, I was just getting out of the shower.”  She opened the door wider, avoiding eye contact as much as possible.  “The kitchen in right in there, make yourself at home.  I’ll be just a minute.”  She scurried away, chastising herself as she went.

“Carter said dinner was around six.  I’m sorry if I’m too early.”  Justin set the plate in his hands down on the kitchen table, glancing around.  It was a small house, but it seemed perfect for Carter and Bailey.  She had done a lot of renovating and decorating to help the place seem a little less…eighties. 

“No, I guess I just underestimated how much time I had.  He told me you would be here around six.”  Bailey’s voice floated from the bedroom, and Justin had to turn away when he noticed the door was cracked a little and he caught a glimpse of flesh.  “Billy Kinney’s mom picked him up a little while ago.  He’s so excited about the baseball game.”

Justin’s eyes furrowed in confusion.  “He’s not here?”

Bailey emerged from the room in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, her hair twisted up in a clip.  Justin had to force himself to stop staring.

“No.  He’ll be gone until tomorrow.”  Bailey busied herself with getting plates and silverware set on the table.  “I’m actually happy you decided to stop over tonight.  It’s my first time being alone since we moved to Shelby Forest.”

“I’m happy to be here.”  Justin took a seat at the table, happy to watch Bailey bustle around the kitchen.  She looked beautiful and comfortable, and he found himself wondering what it would be like to spend more nights here with her.  He shook his head, erasing the thought before it could take root.  “I was surprised when Carter said you wanted me over for dinner, but I was glad he told me.  He also said you wanted some more of my mom’s pecan pie.  She didn’t have any, but she did bake you some cookies.”  He pointed to the plate he’d brought with him.

“Carter said what?”  Bailey spun around, a strange look on her face.

Justin swallowed hard, suddenly feeling as if he’d done something wrong.  “He said you wanted me to bring some more pie over.”

“No,” her hands moved as she talked.  “The part about me wanting you over for dinner.”

“You…don’t want me here for dinner?”  The air suddenly felt thick.

Bailey waved off the comment.  “No, that’s not what I’m saying.”  She took a deep breath and started at the beginning.  “Carter told me that you had some pie you wanted to bring over, and since you would be here I should offer you dinner.  Lasagna.  He said you’d wanted to try some.”

Finally catching on, Justin let out a loud laugh, clutching his belly.  Bailey eyed him strangely, hoping she would get the joke soon, too.  “Oh,” he sighed.  “I think we’ve been set up.”

“What?”

Justin stopped his laughter, clearing his throat.  A big grin was perched on his mouth.  “Carter told me you’d invited me over for dinner.  Apparently he told you I was going to stop by, and since I’d be here, you should invite me to dinner.”  He paused to let it sink it, “I think we’ve been set up.”

Realization dawned on Bailey and she grinned begrudgingly.  “That little shit.”  She mumbled, turning back to the over to pull out the lasagna.  “I’m going to kill him when he gets home.”

“I’d let him live a little while longer.  You might get lonely without him.”  Justin teased, feeling more comfortable knowing about Carter’s plan.  He was impressed with the young man’s clever thought and effort.  He pulled it off well.  He was smart to have left, too, so his mother couldn’t get her hands on him yet.

“Well, Justin, would you like to stay for dinner?  I’ve made lasagna.”  Bailey decided that she might as well go with it.  It would take too much effort to fight Carter’s plan, so it would be easier to relax and enjoy the fact that she didn’t have to be alone right now. 

“I would love to.”  Justin answered, giving her a bright smile.  Bailey felt herself blush again.  She never needed to wear makeup around this man, because her cheeks were constantly rosy.

Bailey finished setting the table, bringing over the food and pouring drinks.  Finally, she settled into her own seat next to Justin’s, dishing out lasagna to both of them.  “I think my son is trying to get us together.”  She confessed, wanting to get things out in the open once and for all.  She was getting slightly wary of dancing around things with Justin, and she needed to know his intentions and what he wanted out of this.

“I think you’re right.”  Was his reply, leaving Bailey to ask the questions she was avoiding.

“What do you want from me, Justin?”  She liked the look she received for her blunt approach.  It was nice to know he could be flustered, too.

“Uhm…”  Justin shoveled some more food into his mouth, hoping to avoid having to answer right away.

“I just…” Bailey let out a sigh, slumping against her chair.  “I like you, Justin, even though I don’t want to.  You’re fun to be around and I enjoy your company.”  Her blue eyes crashed into his.  “It’s just that I come with a lot of…baggage, I guess.  There’s a lot in my past that I’m not proud of, and I’m still trying to find myself.  I don’t want to lead you on or give you the wrong idea.  I don’t know what I can offer for a relationship right now.”  She took in a deep breath, feeling winded and slightly embarrassed after letting all of that out.

“Wow.”  Justin swallowed thickly.  He sat back in his chair, placing his fork gently on his plate.  He took a minute to collect his thoughts, making sure to say what he wanted too without putting his foot in his mouth.  “I like you, too, Bailey.  I…you’re a challenge to me; a puzzle I really want to figure out.  I don’t know what I want from you…I just know I can’t seem to get enough of being around you.”

Silence filled the small kitchen as both of them sat there and processed what had been said.  Both adults felt silly; like teenagers.  Neither knew what to say or how to go forward. 

After a while, Bailey suddenly felt the urge to confess.  “I don’t know if I would be good for you, Justin.”

Her comment surprised him, but it only made him want to figure her out even more.  “What do you mean?”

She sighed, contemplating just how much she could tell him without compromising anything.  “Carter and I had to leave Boston.  There…a lot happened there, and we were forced to come here.  I…I feel like I’m still in limbo, and I don’t know what I’ll need to do to change that.  I can’t promise that I can give you the attention you need.  There’s just…I just have a lot to figure out about myself.”

Another silence lapsed over them, Justin deep in thought while Bailey tried not to think at all.  She didn’t want to hear his rejection, so she started to clean up, collecting dishes and putting food away.  Justin watched as she moved, letting her words roll around in his brain.  He wasn’t entirely sure what she meant by her confession, and he was even less sure what to do with it.  The only thought he could really process, though, was how beautiful she looked moving around that kitchen.  Before he could stop himself and change his mind, Justin stood from his seat and gently grabbed Bailey’s arm, stopping her motion.  He cupped her chin and tilted her head toward his own, capturing his lips before she could pull away. 

The kiss was slow, tentative, as both adults took a moment to taste each other.  Bailey’s lips were soft, sweet, and Justin pulled her closer in an attempt to get more of her.  Carefully, he slipped his hands around her small waist, loving the solid feel of her under his fingers.

Bailey’s mind was blissfully void of thoughts as she let Justin kiss her.  He smelled of soap and something else; something masculine and sexy; something she hadn’t experience for a long time.  She let her hands travel up his arms and over his shoulders, stopping at the nape of his neck.  His hair was soft as she twisted the short curls around her fingers.  Now that he’d started kissing her, she wasn’t sure she wanted him to ever stop.

Eventually, though, he had to pull back so he could catch his breath.  “Bailey…”  He breathed, her name tasting just as sweet as she did. 

“Justin…”  She grinned, not moving her arms from around his shoulders. 

There was so much she needed to deal with, and so much she wouldn’t be able to share with this man.  It scared her, but being like this, in his arms, was enough to push those worries out of her head.  She liked the feel of him under her fingertips.  She liked how he tasted and how he smelled.  She liked how he looked at her when he thought she wasn’t looking.  It was probably a huge mistake, but she couldn’t ignore the butterflies he created anymore.  She didn’t want to.

“Can I do that again?”  He asked, smiling in spite of his embarrassment.  He gripped her hips tighter and pulled her body flush against his own.  His eyes closed at the contact, opening just in time to see her nod, grinning up at him.  He didn’t waste any more time staring, he just let his mouth explore hers, taking his time and savoring the moment.