The First Time I Saw You

The First Time I Saw You, Chapter 3

"Don't look at him, don't smile. Whatever you do, just get those thoughts out of your head," Elizabeth said under her breath as she stood with a big apple box just outside the gate of her new home.

Damn, she was still rattled after meeting Gabriel Friessen, with his unmistakable sexy eyes that made her breath catch in her lungs, and that had prompted the pep talk and reminder that nothing good ever came from tall, dark, and handsome. So she juggled the box and reached around to unlatch the gate.

"Oh, let me get that for you, sugar," her mother said, unlatching the gate for Elizabeth. Chloe had brown hair and a short cut that resembled a football. Her ginormous earrings, a mix of brass and silver, dangled to her shoulders.

"Mom, you know dressing up for moving day kind of defeats the purpose of helping me move," Elizabeth said.

Her mom had a blue handbag that matched her ridiculous outfit looped over her arm. She wore a long, flowing loose sundress of mixed blues that stopped at mid-calf, with three-inch wedge heels and the same plastered-on makeup she wore every day. Elizabeth had seen her mom without makeup only once, and it had taken her a minute to get her brain to realize that the woman was in fact her mother.

"Nonsense," Chloe said. "You should always put your best foot forward and look your very best every time you step out the door. I'm even opening the gate for you, since you can't do that yourself because your hands are full... Frank, are you bringing those bags up? Come on, hurry up now," her mom called out over her shoulder to her dad.

Frank was a big man, tall, with deep eyes, and he always shopped in the extra-large section. He lifted his hand and, she was pretty sure, grunted. At the same time, her mom was still talking, or nagging, about something as she walked away. Elizabeth, like her dad, had stopped listening after the first few words. Chloe seemed to go on and on forever.

She hoofed it up the five wide stairs to the gorgeous three-bedroom house, which had a sweet homey feel the likes of which she'd never experienced, and to boot, it was first class, the kind of home she'd dreamed of having. She still couldn't believe she'd told Gabriel the unfurnished room wasn't a problem, though. Well, she'd been through worse, so having to camp out on a blowup mattress and use boxes to store their clothes would be a small inconvenience, considering she now had a place for her and Shaunty.

She pulled the keys to the front door from the pocket of her faded blue jeans, the keys Gabriel had given her yesterday, but the front door opened before she could use them. There stood mister tall, dark, and handsome himself, this time appearing somewhat decent, wearing a faded pair of jeans, a red T-shirt, and a smile that only had her frowning.

"Oh, hi, I didn't think you'd be here," she stated. Actually, for a minute, she wondered if she'd snarled it. It was what she had hoped, even though the opposite was true, if she was being honest.

"It's Saturday, my day off. Thought I told you I'd be around." He stepped out the door, leaving it open, angling his head to the side and looking around her as he took in her parents. She could still hear her mom talking. Well, words were coming out of her mouth, but she wasn't listening to any of it.

"My parents." She gestured toward them, juggling the box, and almost dropped it.

"Let me." His hand covered hers, and he took the box from her before she could say anything. She pulled her hand back from the touch, which shot fire through her. There was no way in hell she was going to let herself feel that, so she fisted her hand and forced a smile to her face.

"You know what? I can carry my own boxes." She forced the words out and took in the moment he registered what she'd said. He actually handed her back the box and stepped away, lifting his hands in the air. Of course, now she felt like a first-class bitch, but boundaries were imperative, and the last thing she ever planned on happening was getting sucked into another pair of dreamy eyes, a killer smile, and a rugged body she could stare at all day. No way. Been there, done that.