Sealed With A Slap

Chapter 1 Erin Carter pushed her shopping cart down the aisle staring at the options. She never thought of herself as overly vain, but she did not mess around with her shampoo. Unfortunately, living in a small town like Bereton, New York, she frequently ended up running out of her favorite shampoo and having to try something else. Something that said it was good for curly hair, but ended up making her hair look like she’d spent the day playing in electric sockets with a screwdriver. A voice drifted over the divider between her aisle and the one next to hers. She didn’t usually eavesdrop, but she was staring at the blank space where the shampoo she wanted was supposed to be and needed a distraction. That and the voice speaking was deep and authoritative and had her n*****s tightening. “I don’t know why you’re being so difficult,” he said with a sigh. “I’m not being difficult, Dad.” “Well, you’re not being reasonable.” “I don’t understand why.” “Because you’re twelve. You’re too young to date.” Erin could practically hear the girl rolling her eyes. “I’m almost thirteen, but you still treat me like a child. Come on, Dad. It isn’t a big deal.” “Um, yeah, it is. You barely know him. How can you tell me it’s all going to be okay?” She sighed audibly. Definitely a teenager. “He could be asking you out for any reason at all. You want to believe it’s no big deal, but I know what it’s like to be a teenage boy. It’s not pretty.” “Not everyone is like you.” He scoffed. “You’re right. I was married far younger than my brothers and cousins. I was the old guy in the group. I know what the rest of them were doing.” “You just hate that mom got pregnant and you had to have me.” He drew in a breath and blew it out slowly. Erin gave up pretending to look for her shampoo and blatantly listened to their conversation. “You know I don’t regret anything about you or your mom, Em.” “You don’t act like it. You always tell me she would know what to say or do. She would be better at this. She had all the answers. But she’s not here, Dad!” “I know! I wish every day that she was.” “I know you do. And if she was, I wouldn’t be. You would have chosen her over me if you had the choice. Wouldn’t you?” “That’s mature, Em. You want to be treated like an adult, but you act like a child?” Silence met his words. “Seriously? You’re not even talking to me now?” A sniffle. s**t. He made his daughter cry? “I can’t help it,” the voice said, sounding small. Erin chewed her nail. “Don’t do this, Em.” More sniffling. Jeez, Mr. Sexy Voice was kind of an a*s. Erin never could resist helping people, and she was particularly sensitive where kids were concerned. She guided her cart around the end and into the next aisle. Wow. The guy stood back with his arms crossed over a dark gray jacket. His feet were planted shoulder-width apart, and damn were his shoulders wide. His dark hair was pushed back and perfectly in place. Rich brown eyes glanced up at her, lingering as he scanned down her curvy figure before sliding back up her body. He didn’t catch her eye or smile at her. He just looked back at the girl who was chewing on her lower lip and staring into the abyss of tampons. Welcome to the club, sweetheart. “Hi,” Erin said brightly. The girl looked up at her with watery eyes. Her gaze slid to the man behind her. The girl wasn’t as young as Erin expected her to be. She was probably a teenager, although just barely. She had chocolate brown ringlets and huge green eyes. Her jacket gaped open to reveal a Kate Maddox t-shirt, and if Erin wasn’t mistaken, it was signed, too. “Are you guys doing okay?” The girl looked up at the man behind her again, deferring to him for an answer. “We’re fine,” he said gruffly. “Are you sure? Maybe I could help?” He finally focused on her, throwing a glare her way before he turned his body and raised an eyebrow. “And how do you think you can help?” “Um…” Erin hadn’t thought that part out yet. She turned to the girl. “Do you know what kind of tampons you need?” It was a safe question, relatively, but one that she thought would do the most for them. He could leave, and the girl could get some time alone. Away from her dad. She hoped. “No. I...” She glanced back at her dad. “I’ve never used them before.” Erin nodded and offered her hand. “I’m Erin, by the way.” “I’m Emily.” “It’s nice to meet you, Emily.” Erin grabbed a box of Juniors tampons and another box of slender fit. “I’d try one of these two. Maybe both. Do you know how to use them?” Emily shook her head, but before Erin could say anything, her dad grabbed her arm. “We really need to go.” Erin stepped in their way before they could leave. “Could I speak to you a moment?” she asked the dad. He sighed, his dark brows winging up quickly. “Sure,” he said with a forced grin. “Because getting stopped by a stranger isn’t awkward enough.” “I just wanted to say something to you…alone?” He fished out his wallet and handed it to his daughter. “I’ll meet you at the register.” She took it and walked off. When she was out of earshot, Erin smiled at the guy. “Obviously, there’s a lot going on.” He didn’t speak, just leaned back on his heels and crossed his arms again. “I’m a child psychologist. I mostly work with younger kids, but I have studied a lot about older kids also. How is your daughter doing in school?” He laughed. “Seriously?” Erin narrowed her eyes. “Why is my question funny?” He shook his head. “You’re a complete stranger. I’ve never seen you before. We don’t know each other. And for some reason you think you have the right to ask me about my daughter.” “I’m only trying to help,” Erin argued. He ducked his head and glanced around, then stepped into her personal space. “Yeah? So if I told you that I’m worried about your mental health because your cart is full of junk food, frozen meals for one, and the only ad you picked up out front is for the local liquor store, you’d think that was perfectly acceptable?” “I don’t see how any of that is your business,” Erin scoffed, trying to back up. He let her move away and nodded. “I agree completely. Have a good night.” He spun on his heel and walked away, disappearing around the end cap. Erin stayed put for a few seconds, trying to breathe normally again. She closed her eyes and counted to ten, then sucked in a ragged breath. She could still smell him. He smelled like...wine? Not his breath, but him. Like he’d absorbed it. Erin forgot about the shampoo and pushed her cart to the register. She stifled the urge to cry as his words played over and over again in her head. As soon as she handed over her card to pay for her groceries and got her bags, she was out of there. Instead of going home, she went to the bookstore. She knew it was silly, but she felt better when she could see her books. Her frozen foods weren’t likely to thaw in the single digit cold spell they had, so she left everything in the car and rushed inside. She smiled at Lillian, the owner of Turn The Page, and headed toward the back of the store where the pregnancy and early childhood books were. Erin grabbed her latest book and sat on the well-worn striped chair next to the shelf. She took a breath and finally felt like she wasn’t going to lose it. She opened the book and read the words she’d written. Words that gave her comfort. She was a good psychologist, and she could read people. It was one of the many reasons she was so good at her job. Kids, parents, and educators all liked her. It was the perfect trifecta. Erin finished reading a few pages and closed the book. She inhaled deeply, dragging the scent of fresh paper mixed with well-worn pages of used books. Her dream was to have a home with a large library, but so far all she had was Turn The Page. Lillian let her visit whenever she wanted and didn’t bother her. And of course, Erin bought all her books there. A woman appeared around the end of a shelf, pulling up short at the shelf of books. She chewed on her lip while Erin appraised her. She was tall and gorgeous. She wore her curves well, better than Erin ever felt she did herself. The woman had a low-cut top that showed off her cleavage, but in a classy way Erin never thought was possible. Jeans clung to her legs and tucked into black boots with a short heel. She spared Erin a glance and smiled, then turned right back to the shelf. After a minute, she said, “Can I ask you something?” Erin smiled. Thirty minutes earlier she was getting told off by a dad who didn’t want her help, now she had a woman asking for it. Both strangers. Clearly there weren’t any similarities between them. “Of course.” “Do you know anything about these pregnancy books? Like, which ones are good?” Erin’s heart sank and she shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I’m not pregnant.” The woman’s blue eyes went wide and she shook her head. “Oh, no. I’m sorry. I didn’t think you were. I didn’t mean…” She sighed heavily. “I took a test this morning. My boyfriend and I have been together just over a year, but my family is really Catholic. My parents are going to freak out, which means I’m freaking out. And…you’re a total stranger that I just unloaded on. I’m so sorry.” Erin pushed up from the chair and shook her head. “It’s fine. I could really use the boost from helping you.” Erin went to put her book away, but the woman stopped her. “Wait, is that you?” Erin nodded. “It is. I’m a child psychologist.” “That’s awesome. You didn’t happen to write any pregnancy books, did you?” Erin laughed and shook her head. “No. I focus on them when they’re already born. But I spend a lot of time in this section. I know which books people buy most often.” They talked books and babies. Erin’s body clenched at the thought of being pregnant, but it wasn’t going to happen for her. When her new friend had a small collection of books, Erin walked with her to the front of the store. “I’m so happy I met you.” Erin grinned. “I am, too. This really made up for the crappy day I was having.” The woman chuckled. “I can relate. Hey, I know this is weird, but my family owns Amavita Estates. We’re having a small get together this Sunday. You should stop by.” “Oh, I couldn’t impose,” Erin said, shaking her head. The woman smiled and put her hands on Erin’s. “I promise, you wouldn’t be. Maybe you can help me figure out how I’m going to break the news that I’m pregnant to my parents and not have my daddy kill my boyfriend.” “That’s not really what I do.” She smirked. “Yeah, but I’m going to need a psychologist after my dad runs my boyfriend over. Or one of my three brothers. Or one of my cousins.” Erin wasn’t really sure how to take her new friend. “Um, are you serious?” She shrugged. “I really hope not. But you should come anyway. Then I’ll have someone else to talk to. Please. We’ll have wine.” Erin couldn’t say no to wine. “Okay, I’ll be there.” “Yay! That’s great. Do you know where Amavita is?” Erin nodded. “Awesome. Around one. I’ll see you then. Oh, and by the way, I’m Andie.” Erin laughed. “Nice to meet you, Andie. I’m Erin.” Andie laughed and pulled Erin in for a hug. “I think we should have started with that.” Erin walked outside with Andie and smiled her entire drive home, and the dad with the sexy voice was the furthest thing from her mind.