Page 8 of The Only Time

“Oh, that must be Eric,” Layla looks up with a smile.

My stomach does a couple of somersaults at the thought of meeting the man I’m going to be living with for a while. It just feels kind of awkward, like I’m invading his space.

The door opens and I feel my fingers clutch my drink. When he appears in the kitchen, I suck in a breath as my heart begins to race.

Thisis her brother?

I had pictured a tall, lanky guy with no sense in style or people skills. The man standing in front of me is certainly tall, but lanky he is not. He is wearing a blue suit that you can tell has an incredible physique underneath by the way it hugs his biceps. His brown hair is short on the sides and longer on top but looks kind of wild and messy, like he may have been pulling at it on the way home.

I smile at him, waiting for him to reciprocate the sentiment but it never happens. He pulls at the back of his neck, and I wonder if maybe he is lacking people skills despite being extremely handsome.

“Eric,” Layla runs over and gives him a hug, “this is Mia.”

“Hi, Mia,” Eric replies flatly.

I stand up from my seat at the island and meet him at the edge of the counter . I extend my hand. “Nice to meet you, Eric. Thank you so much for letting me stay here. I know it must be extremely inconvenient. If you need me to stay in a hotel or something just…”

“No, no, no. You’re not staying in a hotel by yourself. It’s safe here. And you don’t need to be eating takeout for breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” Layla interjects.

Eric looks at her then at me. “I have a headache. Did you give her a tour already?”

Layla seems a bit taken back but recovers with a smile. “I did. She is all set in her room.”

Eric nods then turns to me. “Help yourself to anything you need. Nice to meet you.”

With that, he walks away. I hear his footsteps ascend the stairs while I’m left in the kitchen trying to figure out what the hell that was about.

Josh rolls his eyes. “If we haven’t explained it already, Eric is a grump. But he is a good guy. I promise that you will warm up to him or learn to ignore it.”

“Um, are you sure about this?” I ask right before I chug down the rest of my drink.

“I wouldn’t let you stay here if I didn’t think that it was a good idea. This is about your safety. Eric has a great security system installed. No one will hurt you when you’re under this roof. It’s not about whether or not he’s a grump, which he is, but whether or not you’re safe.”

I sigh as the reality of her words hit me. She’s right. This is the situation I’m in. I can’t be picky that the man I’m staying with isn’t some warm, genuine guy. It’s not about having fun and being on vacation, it’s about being safe.

“You’re right. I know I should be worried about my safety. I just don’t want to be an inconvenience to him.”

“Everything is an inconvenience to him. It’s part of his charm,” Josh jokes, though I find it hard to laugh at the moment. “Sorry, I suck at the humor today.”

“He wasn’t always like this. Once upon a time he was a happy guy,” she says with sadness evident on her face.

“What happened?” I ask, curiosity getting the best of me.

“A woman,” she replies. “But it’s not my story to tell. He’s never really opened up about it anyways, so I don’t know all the details.”

“I see,” I reply. All of a sudden, the drive and events of the last few days seem to have caught up with me and a huge yawn takes over.

“Let’s get out of her hair, babe,” Josh nudges Layla. “She’s tired and probably wants to settle into her room.”

Layla looks over at me as she bites her bottom lip. “Are you going to be okay? I don’t want to leave you here if you don’t feel comfortable. I can spend a few nights here with you until you get used to Eric and your new environment.”

Even though my body is slightly shaky from my nerves, I don’t want to burden anyone. Of course, it would make me feel better if she stayed, but I could never ask her to do that.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m fine,” I lie. “You guys get out of here. I need to shower and go to bed. I’m beat.”

I walk them to the front door where Layla proceeds to give me several hugs and tells me that she will stop over in the morning. That eases some of my anxiety…until the second they leave and the door closes.

I turn around and look at this strange place. I don’t even know if I should be closing it all down before I go to bed. Should I lock up and turn off the lights? Is Eric in bed for good?

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