ClarenceBN by Sarah M. Anderson Read Free Book Online Page A

a tidy little patio, complete with a bistro table set for two with an honest-to-God rose in a little vase.  
    Tammy pulled up. Where had he gotten a rose?  
    “This is lovely,” she said looking at the spread of food all arranged on platters on the table. Fries and burgers, with corn on the cob and grilled peppers. “This is . . .” she almost said ‘too nice for me,’ but she managed to keep that part in her mouth. “Lovely,” she managed to finish.  
    “What would you like to drink? I have some beer, some wine, and lemonade.”
    “Lemonade.” Hadn’t that been part of the problem the first time? She and Ezra would go out and get buzzed and wind up in the backseat of his car, too drunk to make sure that the condom was on right. “If you don’t mind.”
    “Nope.” Clarence disappeared back into the house, giving her a moment to study her surroundings. His house backed up to a little culvert that was overgrown with scrub trees and the neighboring houses were set off to the side, so she couldn’t see into anyone else’s windows. It was almost like there wasn’t anyone else in the world, just the two of them.
    Clarence came back out with two glasses of lemonade and set them down on the table. Then he pulled his chair around so that he was sitting next to her. “Your mom is staying with Mikey?”
    “Yes.” She didn’t know if she wanted to mention that Mom thought Clarence was a ‘good one.’ “Tara made herself scarce, so it really wasn’t too much of a problem.”
    “That’s good. He’s a good kid,” Clarence said as they ate.
    This was fine. Normal. Just making small talk, getting to know each other. She was not nervous discussing what was the biggest mistake and also the biggest blessing of her life with Clarence. Not at all. “Thanks. He’ll be four in a couple of months.” She sighed. “When he was born, my mom told me that the days were long but the years were short and it’s the truth. I can’t believe that it’s been almost four years, but just getting through the day sometimes . . .” She took a long drink, trying to compose her thoughts so that she sounded like a rational woman, instead of one on the verge of dissolving into grateful tears. “I can’t thank you enough for being so nice to him. You’re probably his favorite person in the whole world right now. He doesn’t usually get toys unless it’s his birthday or Christmas.”
    “I wasn’t trying to make things harder on you,” Clarence admitted, not looking at her. “I was just trying to keep him occupied for a few minutes.”
    A few minutes where he could talk to her. Kiss her.  
    They ate in silence. The day was warm without being hot as puffy clouds danced over the blue sky. Little by little, Tammy began to relax. Just lunch. Just two friends. This was not a big deal. It was just Clarence.
    Except it wasn’t and she knew it. They both did.
    “So,” she said, not wanting to break the comfortable silence but wanting to anyway, “you joined the Navy when you were eighteen?”
    “Yup. Graduated high school, shipped out two weeks later. I wanted off this rez so bad,” he said, his voice getting distant. “Funny how I wound up back here.”
    She knew the feeling—wanting off and yet not quite being able to go. “Why?”  
    “I missed the place,” he said, leaning back in his chair. She did the same, casually resting her hand on her armrest.
    It didn’t stay there for long. Clarence reached over and rested his hand on top of hers. His hand was so much larger than hers was—well, that wasn’t surprising. The man was huge. But what was surprising was the little thrill his touch sent through her body, like a long-forgotten first blush.  
    “After I got my nursing degree, I spent the better part of ten years on aircraft carriers,” he went on, his thumb stroking over her knuckles. “Living packed into tight quarters with all kinds of people, surrounded by water and sky. The sky was the same, but nothing