Page 160 of The Snowball Effect

Specifically, Regan’s ass. As Regan was bent over across the room at the built-in shelves, organizing the mess of board games that had been picked over throughout the night.

Emma drew in a deep, calming breath through her nose, before alerting Regan to her presence. “I feel very grateful for my years of babysitting experience.”

Regan didn’t immediately straighten up – much to Emma’s damnation. Rather, she sent Emma a look over her shoulder, dark eyes glinting from interest. “You were a babysitter?”

“Number one trusted call for everyone in my building, all throughout high school.” Emma used her thumbs to point at herself. She tilted her head at Regan, curiously. “Did you babysit?”

Now – thankfully – Regan stood up and turned to look at her, incredulously. “Emma. Do you think people trustedmeto babysit?”

“A couple of months ago, I’d say a resounding no, with a laugh for good measure,” she agreed, easily, before she bit at her bottom lip and slowly shook her head. “Now, though, I’d say you’re a far more trustworthy source than people think. More trustworthy than you let on, actually,” she added on, speaking slowly.

But it was the truth, now that she really thought about it.

Regan played into being chaotic and flighty, and maybe she was – to an extent. But she noticedeverything, and she was the best listener Emma had ever known.

Before she could push into that even deeper – and she very much wanted to – Regan shrugged. “Yeah, well, I also didn’t know a lot of people with young kids. Anyway, back to the point here: I’m sure you’ve never run into the conversation you had with Eva while you were babysitting someone else?”

Regan’s voice was light, tentative. She wasn’t pushing, but the look in her eyes was hopeful, clearly eager to see if Emma would share with her.

Surprised, Emma’s eyebrows lifted high on her forehead. “You could hear us?”

“Not the whole thing,” Regan assured her, shaking her head. “I’d looped back to see if you two wanted something to drink and overheard… a little. So, I skedaddled back to the kitchen. I tried to give you a little longer, but Everly wasrearingto get back to the game, and I’d distracted her as long as I could in the kitchen. That’s why I announced myself so clearly.”

Emma breathed out a sigh, trying desperately to hold onto her sanity. Any semblance of sanity, really, that kept her from doing what she now desperately wanted to do. To walk closer to Regan, to be close enough to breathe her in.

With that sanity, she kept her hands tightly pressed to her sides, and stayed across the room from Regan.

Even if her sisters were no longer awake, they were still in the house. They wereallin Kimberly’s house.

There.

That thought served Emma a little dose of reality. Great.

“You’re right, I’ve definitely never had that intense of a conversation with anyone else I’ve babysat,” she agreed, warily, tugging her hand through her hair. “But… I think it was good.”

She wouldn’t say she believed she and Eva were going to be super close, immediately. Maybe ever – Emma couldn’t read the future like that. But what shedidknow was that after they’d talked, Eva’s eyerolls and comments seemed a lot more like a typical preteen and less like someone that hated Emma’s guts.

So, that was a positive.

Regan’s smile was so soft, so coaxing, Emma felt reeled into it. “Look at you, Emma Mystery-Middle-Name Bordeaux.”

Rolling her lips, determined not to give into the smile that wanted to slide onto her face, Emma shook her head. “Yeah, I’mstillnot going to tell you.”

Regan’s mouth fell open in offense and she crossed her arms over her chest. “Emma! I took you on a date that you ranked as a twelve out of ten, and you still won’t tell me your middle name?!”

She shook her head, unfailingly entertained by Regan even as she was charmed by her. The reminder of the damn date…

Regan seemed to perk up a second later, and she slowly tilted her head. “So… if you don’t want to talk about your middle name, then why don’t we address the elephant in the room?”

“The elephant?” She echoed, leaning back against the doorway and making herself comfortable there.

It was wiser, she thought, to stay here. Rather than potentially be convinced to sit next to Regan, where they would inevitably be right in each other’s personal space, and Emma would inevitably find herself wanting.

Regan seemed to have none of the same concerns of keeping space between them, as she slowly started walking closer. “Emma. Are you going to pretend that you offering to babysit your sisters – for the first timeever– the literal day after we spent the night together is just a coincidence?”

Emma could only stare at Regan, her mouth falling open slightly at the sheer indignance. Because, “How do you do that? How?” She demanded to know.

That, at least, made Regan pause, leaving a solid four feet of space between them, still. “Do what?”

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