A father with a shrouded past raising twin daughters on his own in a small southern town.
A single mother returning home with a lurid secret which could ruin her dreams.
Both have vowed to forsake their own happiness in the hopes of a better future for their children.
Caleb cannot remember a time when anything mattered to him other than his daughters. But when a familiar face shows up in town, something awakens within him. Her own single-minded devotion to her son makes them kindred spirits, and creates just enough of a gap in walls he painstakingly built around his heart to allow her in.
Jane is returning to the small town of her birth with her young son in tow. She leaves behind a life of excess and indulgence in California. When she recognizes a friendly face from one of the few moments of happiness from her youth, she is instantly drawn to him. The dedication he shows to his daughters gives her hope that she can be the mother her son needs her to be. But somewhere along the way, she realizes Caleb might be the man she had convinced herself she no longer deserved.
Comfortably Numb is the tale of two parents who sacrifice everything for their children. And, in so doing, give themselves one last shot at true happiness.
Authors note:
This novel is a slow-burn, dual-POV contemporary romance. I tried to break this novel up for easier consumption on this platform, but the simple truth is that this story just doesn't lend itself to that kind of separation. Please let me know in the comments your thoughts on releasing this all-in-one hit versus breaking it up into sections. If a full novel in this medium doesn't sound appealing, please take a look at some of my other works. For everyone else, I really hope you enjoy my first attempt at traditional romance.
Content warning for characters that have, and frequently discuss, their progressive beliefs.
All sensuality (on page or otherwise) takes place between characters who are eighteen or older.
One
The foothills of the Carolinas in autumn were typically an unparalleled place to spend a quiet morning. The oppressive heat of summer had finally receded in favor of weather which was almost offensively pleasant. The mist hung heavy on one particular Friday morning after a window-rattling thunderstorm the night before. But the storm had not disturbed the sleep of the residents of a cozy ranch house at the end of a well-maintained dirt road. They were used to the storms and found comfort in the booming thunder and steady raindrops. They slept so soundly, in fact, that none of them noticed when the power went out just before midnight.
Caleb Saunders came slowly awake, grinning crookedly at the hideous face before him. He yawned loudly as he rolled away from the horrifying visage of the somnolent rottweiler lying flat on her back and snoring loudly. He grinned and rubbed the belly of his sleeping partner, causing her to leap to her feet and wag what remained of her tail excitedly. It did not take Caleb long to realize that something felt off. The stillness of the ceiling fan informed him of the loss of power. But more concerning was that he could see anything at all. He snatched his phone from its place beside his bed and saw that the battery was quite dead.
Leaping to his feet, his back groaning in process, he quickly exited his room and crossed the hall to the rooms of his daughters. He knocked on each loudly before hurrying to the back door to let Ripley out before she made a mess. He tossed some food in her bowl and then collected some candles from the mantle before heading back toward the bedrooms. He knocked on his daughters' doors again before entering to hand each of the grumbling teenagers a light source.
"We're super late, girls. Get the lead out."
One of them, Caleb could not be sure which, muttered, "We're going. We're going. Keep your panties on."
Caleb retired to his room to quickly get ready, knowing that they would be catastrophically late regardless. Natalie was supposed to be at school at dawn for a workout with the track team and Maggie was scheduled for a session with her tutor before school started.
Five minutes later, he emerged from his room hastily pulling a shirt over his head. He was greeted with a chorus of shouts about how late they were. He shook his head and grinned at his daughter's remarkable ability to get ready in record time. Two minutes later they were speeding down the pristine dirt lane towards the high school.
As it turned out, Natalie was only ten minutes late and Maggie was right on time. Caleb sat in his truck breathing heavily as the adrenaline of the morning wore off. He belatedly plugged his phone in and waited for it to power on while he pondered his next step. He ultimately decided that since he was already at the school, he would go do some maintenance on one of the band's risers in advance of their performance this evening.
Ninety minutes later, Caleb unlocked the door of his store. The riser had gone easy on him today, he only had three abrasions and one incision. Typically, the irascible piece of equipment exacted a much higher toll. But at least Caleb was reasonably confident it would not collapse this evening beneath Maggie's exuberant conducting. He started the coffee machine before turning on the rest of the lights, giving silent thanks that the power was on here. He settled into his desk with his first mug of coffee as he began going through his email.
An hour later, he heard a jingle from the front door. He peeked over his monitor to see Geoff, his only employee, saunter cheerfully through the door. The young man was one of the most brilliant people Caleb had ever met, but he cared for nothing besides video games. He only worked for Caleb to earn money to buy more games or improve his gaming rig. Caleb had given up trying to motivate the young man to reach his potential, but he still enjoyed his company. Not to mention that he single-handedly kept Caleb's business up to speed with the latest innovations.
Geoff dropped into the chair behind his own desk and leaned back so far Caleb feared he would flip over. He ran his hand through his already thinning, but still obnoxiously bright red hair. Caleb regarded him coolly, waiting for the inevitable outburst.
"Today is going to
suck
!" Geoff practically moaned. "You go and spend hundreds of dollars on a UPS so a stupid little storm doesn't kill your bug hunt. But apparently the assholes at the ISP never thought of that. So there I am, my rig humming right along while the rest of the neighborhood goes dark. I thought I was so damned smart. Then I realized my internet was dead. I'll tell you something, Mr. Saunders. I think we're gonna have some pissed off customers in here today asking what the hell good a UPS is."
"Perhaps," Caleb allowed. "But we never misled anyone. The fact that real-time cloud backup, not to mention the near ubiquitous-ness of laptops, makes a UPS an anachronism is hardly our fault. Look on the bright side, maybe we'll sell some hotspots today. Is your power still out?"
"Yeah. I think a lot of the neighborhoods are. It's just in town that seemed to stay on."
"Coffee's in the back if you want some."
Geoff said, "I'm good. Can't have my hands being all jittery. Big tourney tonight, assuming my power comes back on."
"Not going to the game?"
"Hell no! No offense. I know you're super into the band thing. But I didn't even go to the games when I was in school."
"Your loss," Caleb muttered, turning back to his computer. "Don't forget, you're scheduled to close tonight. I've got three onsite visits scheduled today, plus the game tonight. I expect to be gone all afternoon."
"You can count on me," Geoff said with another yawn.
***
"It's a great price, Ms. Lewis," the real estate agent observed for the fifth time in the last twenty minutes.
Jane Lewis was starting to wonder if this statement was the alpha and the omega of the vacuum skull's salesmanship. She tried to ignore his mindless babble, and his frequent leering, while she made a mental list of everything that would require repairs once she admitted to the agent what she had known in her heart as soon as she saw this house on the market. Unbeknownst to the agent, this was her grandparent's house. The setting for nearly every fond memory of her frequently unhappy childhood. There was no way in hell she was going to let it get away.
It frustrated her how poorly the house had been treated by the middle-aged couple who had purchased the house upon the death of her grandparents. It reminded her of one of the many fights she used to have with her father: why did he ever agree to sell the house after he inherited it? She had pleaded for weeks for him to sell her childhood home instead, so they could move to his house. But her father saw nothing but dollar signs, and this house's value far exceeded the tiny house where she had grown up. Her father had ignored her pleas. He sold his parent's house less than a month after they were buried. Now the house looked run down and unloved. So many things would need to be repaired or replaced. It would take years and thousands of dollars. Luckily, she had both.
She found the agent in the foyer, fiddling with his phone. She approached quietly, not hard when you mass fifty kilograms soaking wet, to spy him scrolling through scantily clad models on social media. She looked over his shoulder until he noticed her presence, whereupon he quickly quit the app and crammed the phone in his pocket.
"Nice," she muttered, somewhat enjoying his discomfort after enduring hours of his pathetic attempts to peek at her boobs.
"So...um...what do you think of the house?" he stammered. "It's a great price."
"So you keep telling me. Call the selling agent. I'm ready to make an offer. But at twenty thousand below the list price. This place has been outright abused and it's going to take a ton of work to get it back in shape."
"I don't know, Ms. Lewis. The seller seemed pretty insistent on the price."
"This place has been on the market for six months. That other asshole is just trying to play you because you just got your license. Trust me, they'll jump at my offer."
She left the hapless agent to attempt to earn his commission while she collected her son Luke and headed to her car. She was amazed at how well the young man had been behaving. At only a bit over two years, he would have been well within his rights to retaliate for the days long cross-country trip, not to mention leaving the only home he had ever known. But instead of tantrums, all he offered was his soul melting cherubic smile. He seemed to have a preternatural empathy for his mother's emotions and thankfully never came unglued when she was nearing her own breaking point. She had seen a playground on the way to her future home, and she intended to reward her little man for being such a good sport.
Her heart was buoyed by his giggle when she started pushing him on the swing. She became aware of another car pulling into the car park. As she glanced up, she saw a minivan disgorge nearly a half dozen children who quickly descended on the playground. Moments later, another woman roughly her age approached with a toddler in her arms. She put the young man in the swing next to Luke and began pushing him.
"Hi, I'm Rebecca. I don't remember seeing you here before."
"Jane. I'm new in town. We were looking at a house in the neighborhood and decided to give the playground a test drive."
"Are you looking at the old Gilmour place? It would be so nice to have a family move in there. It's been an eyesore ever since the last couple got transferred."
