Page 23 of When to Call a Blitz

“So what have you been up to lately?” she asks, a glint in her eye.

I know that look.

“Just work,” I shrug.

“With Emmett,” she deadpans.

I look at the other girls, watching as they all stare at me. “I mean yeah. My camera broke. My car broke. I needed something.”

“Girl,” Briar smirks. “I know how working for those boys goes. Have fun.”

My brows furrow. “How long did it take you guys to get together? It felt like a million years. Let’s be real here,” I roll my eyes. “This is Emmett we’re talking about. I can’t seem to figure out whether he’s moody or shy or just quiet, and he made it extremely clear that he wanted nothing to do with me when he ghosted me.”

Amara’s lips thin like she’s trying hard not to chime in, while Mila’s eyes narrow at Isla. “I think it’s a great opportunity for her,” Mila says finally. “She’s been stressed and she loves the kids.”

I’m grateful for her chiming in. I know the girls just want me to find some love, but half of them don’t have anyone, either. I’ll start dating on my own time. It just doesn’t help that Briar and Isla know about what happened that trip.

“Wait,” Zara says suddenly, her head tilted. “I feel like I need to get filled in. What’s going on here?”

I sigh before shooting Isla a nod of permission.

“You know Leo’s best friend? Emmett? Big dude with a kinda stale personality? Loveable teddy bear but also so quiet it’s a little scary? Well, when we were on vacation this past summer, he and Heidi had a little moment on the beach.”

Zara sucks in a breath. “You guys kissed?” she asks, shocked.

I quickly shake my head. “No, we didn’t kiss.”

“No, but they had a heart to heart.” Isla’s eyes are huge as she pauses.

Zara looks between the girls, trying to figure out why this is news.

“The man doesn’t talk,” Briar chimes in. “He doesn’t tell people things. Do you know that most of the team still doesn’t know he has a daughter?”

I watch as Zara processes the words, her lips tilting down in a small frown. “How does that happen?”

“He’s just really private,” Isla continues. “Owen didn’t know he had a daughter until this year. That’s how crazy private he is. He’s been through a lot, from what I hear, but none of us really know much about it.” She pauses. “Well, except for Leo. He knows the most. But now,” she gestures to me. “Heidi knows a lot too.”

I shrug. “We had a little moment talking about our lives.”

“She won’t tell us anything about him, though.” Amara says.

“He told me these things in confidence,” I retort. “I’m not going to run back and tell everyone!”

Amara puts her hands up. “I know! I know. I’m just driving home what actually happened.”

“I’ve got it now,” Zara nods, leaning back into the couch. “So what happened after?”

“Well,” I start, stretching my neck. “We were texting for awhile and then he just,” I shrug. “He just stopped texting me. Stopped hearing about him at all. Then the next time I saw himwas at Isla’s gallery, and then at Lulu’s, where the man literally ran away from me.”

Mila snickers. “She did a great job of chasing him down though. Truly impressive work.”

“The guy can’t blend in to save his life. I never once lost track of him.”

“He was running like he was being hunted for sport,” Isla agrees.

“So what now?” Zara asks.

“Well, he found me stranded on the side of the road and offered me a ride. We got to his house and he offered me a shower,” the girls all look at each other. “Nothing scandalous happened. I showered. I dressed in—” I pause, the wheels in my brain smoking. “Clothes, and he asked me to nanny for his daughter.”

---