Page 117 of Holiday Hire

Her smile grows. She softly replies, "Good."

I glance at the metal horse over the bed, then at her. I arch my eyebrows, my heart beating faster.

She bites on her smile, her cheeks turning pink.

For some reason, a chuckle flies out of me. Maybe it's the stress of the day. Perhaps I'm so out of my element in my own house I don't know how to handle anything right now. It might be due to my undeniable attraction for Phoebe, even though I've spent the entire day trying to tell myself I can squash it.

Then again, maybe I just want to feel the happiness I felt twenty-four hours ago before I opened my mouth and ruined everything between us.

Whatever it is, I keep laughing. Phoebe suddenly joins in, and tears fall down my cheeks. I swipe at them but can't stop howling. My sides begin to hurt.

Ace asks, "What are you laughing about?"

I can't answer him. I glance at the horse again, and Phoebe giggles harder. She rubs tears off her cheeks as well.

"I don't get it," Wilder adds.

It takes another few minutes for us to calm. I kneel down and toss my arms around the boys. "Thanks. This is really nice."

Wilder declares, "It was all Phoebe's idea."

Ace offers, "She said we had to do your room first."

"Yeah. She said you deserved it since you work so hard for all of us," Wilder states.

I pin my gaze on her. "Thank you. It's really nice."

"You're welcome."

We don't say anything for a moment.

Ace's stomach growls. He announces, "I'm hungry. What's Aunt Willow cooking?"

Phoebe answers, "It's steak night."

"Yes! My favorite," Wilder exclaims, pumping his arm in the air.

"Why don't you two run to the house? Phoebe and I will meet you there. I need to talk to her for a minute."

"I'll race you," Ace says, running out of the room.

"No head starts allowed!" Wilder claims, following him.

The front door slams, and I step in front of Phoebe. Anxiety creeps back into my chest. I blurt out, "Where did you find the horse?"

Her lips twitch. "The home goods store in town."

I glance at it again, chuckling. "It's nice."

"I thought you'd appreciate it," she says, taking a deep breath. Her smile fades.

A million thoughts race around me. I start, "Look, I..."

She waits.

"I fucked up this morning. I said things the wrong way."

"I'm not looking to be another notch on your belt, Alexander."

---