Seduced by Design

Crate

Molly

After getting a list of things the kids liked and didn’t like, I felt like I was prepared for this dinner. I had literally invited myself into his home, but I didn’t care. Even though Jaden had talked about how his kids were down and disappointed, I had noticed that he looked down and disappointed as well. I felt bad for them, and I wanted to do something special. Plus, I wanted to help distract them. Of course, I also saw it as an opportunity to see Jaden’s house and to get to know his kids better. I looked over the items on the kitchen counter and started going through everything. Michael didn’t like mayonnaise, so I had to improvise when it came to the dressing sauce. I ended up making a creamy BBQ sauce that paired pretty well with chicken and beef. Sammy, Carrie, and Michael preferred chicken, but Will liked beef. Carrie wasn’t a fan of tomatoes and Sammy didn’t like cucumbers. That’s why this was a great idea. Not only would it feed everyone, but it would be fun to create your own taco. I checked each container before I packed everything into the crate I had borrowed from Damon. All packed and ready to go, I checked the time. It was five past five. Jaden had suggested I come by at five-thirty. I grabbed the crate, realized it was now too heavy, and set it back down on the counter.

“f**k,” I murmured as I considered my options. Damon was no longer my next-door neighbor, so I couldn’t just ask him for help. And the only other guy I knew in this complex was a pain in the ass. I didn’t have a choice. I dialed his number while a part of me hoped he wasn’t home.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Molly Bolly,” he greeted, and I rolled my eyes at the nickname he had given me. I hated it.

“Lucas,” I said as I forced myself to smile. Even though he couldn’t see me, I didn’t want him to pick up my annoyance through my tone of voice. “I need your help,”

“Of course, you do…what’s up sexy?”

“I have this crate, and now it’s heavy,” I started. Before I could finish, Lucas had told me he’d be here in five and hung up. I disliked that about him. I checked over everything one last time and when I heard the knock at my door, I forced another smile as I went to answer the door. “Thanks, Lucas,” I said.

“Not a problem…maybe next time you’ll actually call me to hang out,” he remarked, and I froze. He smirked as he stared at me. “Relax, Molly…it’s ok,”

“No, no, it isn’t ok,” I admitted as I stepped aside to let him in. “The only time I ever call you or talk to you is when I need something…I’m sorry,” I apologized, and I really did feel bad. Just because the guy liked me, and I wasn’t interested, didn’t mean I had to use him the way that I did. “I’ll make it up to you,”

“I’m holding you to that,” he said as he went over to the crate. He didn’t question anything as he picked up the crate easily. I followed behind him as we left my apartment. I made sure to lock up, and then I hurried ahead so that I could get to my car before him. Lucas carefully set the crate in the passenger seat.

“Thank you,” I said as I tried to avoid his intense gaze.

“Holding you to it,” he reminded me before he headed off. I sighed as I got behind the wheel and started the car. I would have to do something for him, but I had to tread carefully. Otherwise, he would think I was open to something more, and I just wasn’t. The drive to Jaden’s house was new. I hadn’t been to his place before, but it was pretty straightforward and slightly further than I had expected. I ended up being ten minutes late and when I saw him standing in the doorway with a worried look on his face, I cursed myself for not letting him know that I was running late.

“Hey,” he greeted as he came up to the car. I had parked behind his van. “Everything ok?”

“Sorry…I didn’t…I couldn’t…” I was flustered as I got out of the car. I took a deep breath and started again. “I had to get some help and then there was chatter and…and I haven’t been out here before, so I was a bit slow because I was worried, I’d miss the turn-off,” I explained. Jaden smiled as he leaned in and kissed my cheek. It wasn’t necessarily unusual for him to show such affection, but I hadn’t been expecting it.

“Ok, no worries…” he whispered.

“Crate!” I blurted out. Jaden frowned as I turned and pointed at the crate sitting on the passenger seat. “Sorry,” I added.

“Relax, Molly. Your nerves are making me nervous, and the kids will pick up on it…so please, just relax,” he whispered before he went around the car to get to the passenger side. I took a deep breath and willed myself to relax. The kids knew me. Or at least they knew who I was. Jaden got the crate quite easily, and I followed him up to the house. As soon as I stepped inside, it was as if the atmosphere changed. It was cooler inside than outside considering the fact that it was early evening. The house was an absolute mess, but not dirty. There was kids' stuff all over the place and as I took it all in, I realized that the place looked lived in, and I loved that. It reminded me of Naomi’s place. Except hers was a bit more organized.

“Where are the kids?” I asked curiously as I followed him into the kitchen.

“Finishing off their homework,” he said as he turned around to smile at me. “So, do you want to tell me what’s all of this?”