Page 35 of Best Kept Secret

"She needs a bath, and there is bedtime…." I couldn't possibly leave someone else to handle that with Pari, could I? I hadn't even let Beau do it on his own.

"I've seen you put her to bed. And I think, between Anson and I, we can bathe Pari. What do you say, little Angel, you wanna have some fun with Anson and me?" Nova cuddled my niece, who grinned.

Anson joined Pari and Nova on the floor and, immediately, Pari crawled onto him. She was a friendly child—and if you showed her affection, she gave it right back, double.

She poked Anson's nose, and he indulged her by saying, "Ding dong."

"You now a doorbell." Pari clapped.

Nova leaned into her fiancé and looked at Pari. Anson put an arm around her, holding both of them.

I couldn't help but smile. The love between them was palpable—and effortless. The kind of love you don't see in the movies, but in the small moments, like when Anson tucked a loose strand of Nova's hair behind her ear, or the way she looked up at him like he was the only person in the room. They were solid, and it was hard not to admire that.

Nova left Pari with Anson and came to me. "Come on, Mira. Live a little. Beau's out with everyone at—" she paused, pulling her phone out to check a message, "Oh, here it is—The Peregrine."

I'd heard of the restaurant; it was one of those trendy places in downtown Savannah that I'd read about when I started to look for jobs in the food sector on Beau's computer. I'd never been, of course. It wasn't exactly in my budget or even on my radar with how my life was.

"I can't just leave," I said, still trying to resist the idea. "What if—"

Nova gently grasped my shoulders, turning me to face the hallway, and began to push me toward my room. "Pari is in good hands. Take a night on us."

I wasn't sure. Should I get permission from Beau? After all, Pariwashis daughter, and I was…a babysitter? A nanny?Who the hell was I?

"Beau asked us if we could babysit, Mira. I told him we could, but he then told us that you'd decided to stay home," Anson explained as if he could read my thoughts. "He'll be fine with us here. He thinks you need some time off, too."

I stared at him blankly, and for a moment, I felt something stir deep inside me—something I hadn't felt in a long time. The idea of going out, of being around people, maybe even letting myself have fun…scared me a little. But it also excited me in a way I hadn't expected.

Nova saw the change in my face before I even said anything. "That's the spirit! Let's get you dressed up."

"Wait, dressed up?" I asked, feeling a little panicked now. "I don't have anything to wear."

This wasn't hyperbole. Ireallydidn't. I went from my parents' home to a life that required me to work long hours in a kitchen. I didn't needfancy clothes,and I didn't have any.

"Which is why I brought something for you." She pointed to the bag that seemed to have magically appeared by the door, which I assumed Anson had been carrying.

As I went into my room, I heard Anson chuckle, already making himself at home with Pari, who was telling him all about her elaborate block kingdom.

"Come on, honey, we're goin' to dress you up, and you're goin' to knock Beau's socks off."

I froze. "What?"

There will be no knocking off of socks!

Nova closed my bedroom door behind us. "What? You think we can't see what's happenin' between you two?"

"Nothing is happening." First Roxy and now Nova. Was everyone able to see how attracted I was to him? "He's with Fallon."

Nova waved her hand dismissively. "Nonsense. She's a friend…well, she's a bitch, buthethinks she's a friend. He treats her like one."

"She hates me."

"She's jealous of you." Nova pulled out a black dress, and I gaped at it.

"Nova, really, I don't—" I started.

"Don't even think about bailing," she cut me off. "We're doing this. Let me work my magic."

Nova dressed like she was from the fifties—with flowers in her hair, clothes that accentuated her curves, and shoes that were so wonderfully vintage.

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