Surprise Valentine

While Andrew pushed a few buttons to show me how it worked, he gave me a curious smile and said, "Funny, I'm sure this is the one we had sent to Whitney for Christmas, so I'm surprised you haven't used it yet."

"Lately, we've been drinking a lot of tea," Whitney jumped in, before I could think of what to say. Then hoping to divert his attention, she handed him a plate of sandwiches and pointed into the dining area. "Dad, I made a few of your favorite, tuna with tomato. If you could put this on the dining table, I'll bring in the pickles."

Whitney rolled her eyes after he walked off, since we almost got caught again.

While she passed me the cream and sugar, I whispered in her ear, "I've got a suitcase with my clothes in the car."

Taking a quick look over her shoulder, she nodded. "Better wait to bring it in when they're asleep."

"I was thinking the same thing."

We both quietly laughed as I helped her put the rest of the lunch together, since it was starting to feel like we were working on some kind of covert operation.

Smiling into my eyes, Whitney brushed a kiss to my cheek. "It's just sweet of you to play along. As nice as it is to have them here, now I'm hoping they're only planning to be stay for a few days, so we don't have to carry this on too long."

Though none of it was planned, I had feeling I was going to enjoy playing house with her, even if her father was starting to look at me funny.

Over lunch, we discussed the things they were looking forward to seeing around the city. "After the long tour we've just finished, I think we'd be happy to see most of it from the car," her father said, smiling over at his pretty blonde wife who was nodding in agreement.

"Well, I think we'll be pretty comfortable driving around in my SUV, and you should be up high enough to see everything," I suggested.

Whitney flashed me a smile, and I gave her a wink. She seemed pretty happy that I was willing to help out with her parents. Though I really didn't mind, since I'd been looking for things to do to keep me engaged ever since I lost my wife.

We were so busy smiling into each other's eyes, we only snapped out of it when her father cleared his throat. "Since the day after tomorrow is Valentine's Day, your mother and I we were thinking it might be nice to take you two out for brunch, since you've probably already made plans for dinner."

Whitney and I shot each other an awkward look, since I think we both forgot what tomorrow was. With no one to celebrate with anymore, I never really thought about Valentine's Day. For me it was like any other day of the year. Although, if we were supposed to be involved and living together, I knew we had to do something to convince them that we were in love.

"You're more than welcome to join us. And I'm sure I can get us a table for four," I said, not wanting to leave them on their own.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" her mother asked, looking back and forth between us.

Whitney reached over and squeezed my hand, smiling over at her mother. "Mom, we wouldn't want you spending Valentine's here on your own, having to cook dinner."

"As long as everyone is okay with Italian, I'll give the restaurant a call and ask for a bigger table." I said, hoping I could actually pull it off.

"That sounds great. We love Italian, don't we, honey?" her father said, smiling at his wife.

Once we'd finished lunch, Whitney and I cleaned up, while her parents went to their room to unpack.

I asked Whitney about the little smirk she was wearing while she watched me rinsing the plates and loading the dishwasher. Touching her lips to my ear, she whispered, "I'll tell you later."

While she was busy at the sink, I pulled out my phone and called to see if I could get us a reservation. With it being Valentine's Day, I knew most places would be fully booked, but hopefully I could count on my cousin Nick to help me out.

I laughed when I told him that I needed a table for Valentine's Day, and the first thing out of his mouth was, "Are you out of your freakin' mind? I'm booked solid from five in the afternoon till eleven at night."

"Nick, I realize it's short notice, but if you could find us a table for anytime after six, I'll owe you big time."

"Hang on, let me check," he said, sounding a little exasperated, I guess feeling a little overwhelmed with all he had do to prepare for the big day. Finally, he came back and said, "You know if it was anybody but you, I'd tell them to go jump in the lake. But seeing as you're family, I can squeeze in an extra table for 7:00 o'clock."

I heaved a sigh of relief, glad that he'd found a way to help me out. "Thanks, Nick, I owe you," Whitney looked hopeful, watching me put my phone away.

"So, did you have any luck?"

"Yep. My cousin owns one of the nicer restaurants in the city, and he said he could give us a table for seven o'clock."

"You know, I actually forgot it was Valentine's Day tomorrow," Whitney said, wincing. "So, I'm really glad you managed to find somewhere nice for dinner." To show her appreciation, she stepped closer, wrapped her arms around my waist and gave me a little hug. Looking up at me, she smiled and whispered, "You know, you're turning out to be a super nice fake boyfriend."

I chuckled, enjoying the feeling of stroking a hand over her slender back as we hugged, especially considering that it felt like ages since I'd even touched another woman.

"I didn't like the idea of your parents being stuck here spending the night alone, so I'm glad my cousin came through for me."

Still hugging me close, looking up into my eyes, she looked uncomfortable as she explained, "They um... usually dress up when they go out for dinner."

"That's okay, I packed a suit, just in case."

She looked relieved. "That's good."

Once her parents had turned in for the night, I left as quietly as I could and went down and got my suitcase and suit bag out of my car.

Whitney was waiting for me by the door when I came back up. She pointed down the hallway and whispered, "My room's the last door on the left."

I looked past her into the living room. "I thought I'd be sleeping on the couch."

Shaking her head, she took hold of my arm and led me down the hallway. Once we were in her room, she quietly closed the door behind us and explained, "If we're supposed to be living together, I think my parents would wonder if something was wrong if they saw you sleeping in the living room."

I nodded. "I guess you're right." Though we weren't really together, I still didn't want them thinking that she'd kicked me out of her bed.

While Whitney went and turned out the lights in the other rooms, I went in and brushed my teeth in her ensuite bathroom. Before she came back, I took a pillow off the bed, put it on the floor and grabbed a blanket.

She looked surprised when she came in and saw me trying to get comfortable on the hardwood floor. "Noel, you can't sleep down there, you'll hurt your back."

"Well, I wasn't planning on sleeping with you." As soon as I said it, I noticed she looked a little hurt, so I quickly tried to fix it. "It's not that I don't want to, it's just that I didn't think you'd want us sharing a bed."

"If we keep some clothes on, and one of us sleeps under the sheet and the other one on top, I think we'll be okay."

The thing was, it had been over ten years since I'd slept with anyone but my wife. And though I liked the idea of curling up with Whitney, it still felt a little strange for the two of us to be crawling into bed together, even if all we were going to do was sleep.

I had to fight really hard not to laugh when she came out of the bathroom wearing a hideous long, purple floral flannel nightgown, that went from her feet, right up to her chin. I guess she figured I wouldn't get any naughty ideas with her wearing something as frumpy as that.

Funny, even covered in flannel, I thought she still looked pretty cute.

Once she crawled in beside me, neither of us was ready to fall asleep, so we left a bedside lamp on and we started talking.

"I guess your parents must be retired, to be able to take a long trip like that," I said, curious to learn a little more about her folks.

She nodded. "My mom worked with special needs kids at the same elementary school where my sisters and I went. But when she was diagnosed, she decided to retire. My father retired too, so he could be there for her."

"I basically did the same thing for my wife."

She turned in bed and faced me, looking surprised. "You're married?"

"No, not anymore. I lost her to cancer three years ago."

"Oh, I'm really sorry to hear that."

"She was only sick for a couple of months, and then she was gone."

"It must have been awful to lose her like that, especially so fast," she said, reaching for my hand.

"It hit me pretty hard," I said, stroking my thumb into her palm as I thought back. "I felt so lost without her, I kind of checked out for a while. I walked away from my small engine business, and let my manager take the reigns. Of course, I gave him shares in the company, so he didn't mind taking over.

"I got so down that my family pushed me to see a bereavement counsellor. I didn't want to go. But I was glad when I finally accepted the fact that I wasn't handling things very well on my own. The counsellor suggested I try group therapy with other people who'd lost loved ones that were going through the same thing.

"The one thing everyone agreed on was that they needed to keep busy to make them feel like they still had a purpose in life, now that they weren't taking care of their loved ones anymore. Plus, having somewhere to go, helped to keep their spirits up and gave them a reason to want to get out of bed in the morning.

"After a few meetings, I decided to take their advice. I started working out, joined a runner's group and found a few places that needed help. My wife was incredible, and was always willing to lend a hand; food banks, soup kitchens, women's shelters, anywhere that could use some help. Since she's been gone, I guess I've been trying to take up where she left off."

"You must find it fulfilling, though," Witney said, still holding my hand. "And I'm sure your wife would be pleased to know that you're following in her footsteps."

"I hope she knows that she's inspired me to keep going, and hopefully to do more with my life than I was doing before, when all I did was work."

"I'm sure she does."

"When I first lost her, I didn't even want to get out of bed in the morning. Now I wake up early, and no matter what it's doing outside I go for a run. At first, I had to push myself to keep going, but now I feel like I'm back on track."

She gave my hand a little squeeze, and smiled. "I'm glad."

"I checked around and found an animal shelter that was looking for volunteers to walk their dogs. I usually take the ones that are harder to handle. I work on leash training them, so it'll be easier for them to get adopted."

She smiled. "I bet they get excited when they see you, knowing you're going to take them out."

I chuckled, thinking about all the different dogs and all their little quirks. "Yeah, as soon they see me, they start wagging their tails, and get all excited. Probably because they also know that I've got treats in my pockets to coax them to behave when we're out in public. There's a few of us that walk them, so at least they get out for a walk every day, rain or shine."

"Do have you a dog of your own, Noel?"

"No." I sighed. "I don't have any pets or kids. Dawn and I were talking about starting a family before she got sick."

"Well, I'm glad for you that you're finding different ways to cope."

"I just try to keep myself busy. A few nights a week, I help serve meals at a soup kitchen. And whenever there's a food drive, I sort the donations at a food bank that my friend runs. It does feel good to be doing something worthwhile, rather than just moping around and feeling sorry for myself.

"I still drop into the office at least once a week, and we do zoom meetings. But then I go and find things to do that I think are more rewarding than just making money." I tugged her hand, and chuckled. "Like helping ladies that I meet at the airport who need a fake boyfriend."

She laughed. "Well, I'm just glad you were there. When Kurt and I broke up, I didn't want to ruin my mother's dream vacation and tell her that he'd left me. So, while they were travelling, whenever we'd talk and she'd ask how the two of us were doing, I just kept pretending that we were still together."

"You must have been pretty upset when he left."

I noticed she didn't seem too upset, at least from the way she was rolling her eyes and quietly laughing. "To be honest, I was relieved. I was trying to think of a way to ask him to move out. Thankfully, before I had a chance, he sent me a text to tell me that he was moving back in with his ex."

"So, I'm guessing the two of you weren't getting along?"

"When we first started dating, he was great. He said he was a homebody, and loved coming home to me every night, so we didn't go out much."

"He never took you out?"

"No. Not very often. He said he liked my cooking, and he was good about helping out, and always offered to clean up after. At least at first. It didn't last long, though. A few weeks after he moved in, which by the way, was his idea, he started pushing away from the table, leaving everything for me to clean up. He'd crack open a beer, head into the living room, put on the TV and fall asleep on the couch."

"How long did you have to put up with that?"

"I kind of got used to him to leaving everything for me, I didn't mind cleaning up. But when he kept talking about getting married, and said he wanted a big family, since he was one of seven, I knew it wouldn't work. I couldn't imagine taking care of our kids with him crashed on the couch every night. The longer we were together, the more I realized I didn't want him in my life anymore."

"I can see why."

"I'd made up mind to end it, even before we broke up. We'd stopped at the supermarket to pick up some steaks for dinner one night. There was cute little curly-haired boy in the cart ahead of us in the check out line, crying his little heart out. He was only about three. His face was so red, he looked really flushed, like he had a fever. I felt sorry for the poor little guy.

"His mother apologized and told us they'd just come from the doctor and that he had an ear infection, so I knew he had to be in pain. She was picking up pain meds and some drinks for him, and she kept trying to calm him down to keep the other customers from glaring at her. I turned and looked at Kurt, his jaw was clenched, and I could tell from the look on his face, he was livid. He muttered to me, none to quietly, if that was his kid, he'd pull his pants down and beat his ass till he stopped crying. I was so shocked that he'd even consider doing something like to a helpless child, I didn't even know what to say. By then, I'd already decided that I didn't want to be with him anymore, but when he showed how cruel he could be, that clinched it."

"I can see why you were glad he left."

"Since he moved out, I've been feeling a little gun shy. I'm not sure who I can trust anymore. So, I haven't really been interested in seeing anyone else."

"I'm the same. I haven't been on a date in over ten years, since I first met my wife, Dawn."

"You haven't gone out with anyone since you lost your wife?"

"No. A few friends have tried to fix me up, but I just haven't been interested."

"Anyway, this afternoon, that was why I was smiling at you in the kitchen when you were helping me clean up after lunch, like it was second nature for you just to pitch in."

I shrugged. "My mother taught us to clean up after ourselves, so I've never thought twice about helping out."

When I noticed that she was starting to yawn, I suggested we turn out the light and try and get some sleep.

As I was dozing off, I was surprised how much we'd shared. Especially since I'd been keeping most of what I'd been feeling bottled up, and hadn't really talked much with anyone, even my family. But Whitney was so easy to talk to, and so understanding, it seemed natural to open up with her.

I thought it was sweet that she pressed a kiss to my cheek and whispered, "Goodnight, Noel," before she turned out the light.

WHITNEY

As I was coming awake in the morning, I felt like I was having the sweetest dream, and I had a big hunky man in my bed. Till I realized that it was Noel curled up warm and tight against me, with his arm slung across my waist.

I took a peek over my shoulder and smiled when I saw he was fast asleep, his long dark lashes resting on his cheeks, making him look almost boyish.

Noel must have felt me watching him. When he opened his eyes, he seemed a little confused as he looked around, probably wondering where he was.

When he realized where his arm was, and who he was curled up with, he let go of me and quickly rolled back onto his side of the bed. "Sorry," he said, sounding a little sheepish. "I must have rolled onto your side in my sleep."

"It's okay. I didn't mind." I really didn't. It felt nice to have him tucked up against me.

Though I'd enjoyed our sleepover, I knew we had to get up and get going when he reminded me what we had planned for today.

"I guess I'd better get a shower and get dressed if we're taking your folks out," he said, nodding at the bathroom.

"I was going to say, if you've got somewhere else you'd rather be, you really don't have to drive them. I can show them around on my own."

"I don't mind," he said with a shrug. "I like showing people around the city. If we're going to be out for a few hours, we should probably have breakfast before we go, though."

I got up and headed to the bathroom. "I'm just going to brush my teeth. And while I'm getting our breakfast started, you can grab a shower."

Everything was ready to go on the kitchen counter, and I thought I'd better grab a shower before I cooked the eggs and put the toast on, since my parents were still in bed.

Busy thinking over what I was going wear, I never even thought about knocking, when I opened the door and walked into my room.

Holy smokes! I never expected to see Noel fresh from the shower, with just a towel draped around his waist, looking hot as hell.

For a moment I just stood and stared with my mouth hanging open. Till I noticed the little smirk on his face, obviously amused at how stunned I looked.

"I'm sorry. I should have um..." Eyeing his nice firm pecs and the little trail of dark hair that disappeared under the towel, I couldn't even remember what the heck I should have been doing, now that he was standing there almost naked.

"You should have what?" he asked, trying to keep a straight face.

I knew I should be averting my gaze, but I just couldn't look away. "I guess I should have knocked before I walked in?"

"It's okay, I was just getting some clothes from my suitcase," he said, gesturing at his black suitcase by the window.

I nodded toward the bathroom. "If you're finished in there, I'm just going to get a shower."

"Yeah, I'm done. Once I'm dressed, I'll go put on some coffee."

When I got in the bathroom, that was still hot and steamy, all I could think of was him, buck naked ass in my shower, running his hands all over that gorgeous body.

Ooh, now I was wondering what would have happened if that towel had slipped, and let me have a peek at his goods. It was enough to make me blush, especially since we weren't really involved, and probably never would be.

Sighing, I slipped out of my robe, wiggled my way out of my stupid floor length flannel nightie, and took a critical look at my body in the full-length mirror on the back of the door. I thought my breasts were still quite perky. Though my nipples were so hard they were throbbing. And I could tell I was pretty wet downstairs, just from seeing him barely covered in that towel.