Page 24 of The Workaholic Down the Hall

“Did you have a nice visit with your mother, at least?”

He grimaced. “She was pretty busy. There are a lot of guests at the house and she was fixing her usual Sunday brunch. I spent most of the time trying to convince her to hand over my keys and she spent the time telling me about her business.”

“I'm sorry you're stuck here. I was sure she'd get you back in time to go to work on Monday.”

He shrugged like it didn't matter, but his jaw was tense, his gray eyes clouded. “I talked to Jill and she says everything is under control. Mom has decided you and I need to spend a week together. She won't change her mind, even when I told her I have every intention of helping you and the baby every way I can.”

I cleared my throat. I should just head up to bed and let him wonder, but that wasn't fair. “This is a matchmaking scheme, Noah. She wants the two of us to be a couple.”

His eyes widened. “Are you serious? Does she know about you and Oscar?”

The disbelief on his face at the idea of us being a couple was enough to make me want to continue the charade that Oscar and I were dating. It made all this hurt just a tiny bit less. “I don't think it would make any difference to her. She wants the two of us together. I've told her repeatedly you and I are just friends and will always be just friends, but she doesn't want to hear that. You know how she can be.”

“Right. Just friends,” he said, his brow creased, his frown severe. “So, we'll do our own thing here for a week and then go back to our own lives.”

“Exactly.” I did my best to keep my voice even and firm. “You'll go back to Atlanta and I'll stay here.”

“Exactly.”

We sat in silence for several long moments and I mourned the peace and the laughter we'd had the night before. For a little while, I'd thought we could be friends again, that he really would be around for me and our baby, but I was beginning to think I'd been wrong to trust him. I'd put too much stock in his empty promises. He'd been there for me before when it had been easy, when I'd been working for him, in the same city as him. But now, everything had changed and I couldn't risk my security and our baby's security on what-ifs and empty promises.

I'd lived that life, believing the promises of relatives who'd offered me a forever home, who'd vowed to take care of me, but who'd failed me when money got too tight or raising another child, a child who had nightmares and missed her parents, got too hard. I'd learned long ago that the only person I could trust, could depend on, was myself. I needed to remember that with Noah.

“Want to watch a movie or play a game?” he asked, but his tone was flat, like he didn't care one way or the other what I chose.

“I'm exhausted. I'm going to head up to bed.”

I walked back to my room and he didn't stop me or even wish me goodnight. I closed my door, changed into my pajamas, and fell into bed. Oscar and I had done a lot of walking and I'd been up early. I should have fallen right to sleep. Instead, I lay in bed, tossing and turning trying to get comfortable and thinking of Noah's face, his thin-lipped frown, his tense shoulders. He didn't want to be here and it hurt to have him here when I knew how badly he wanted to get away from me. I couldn't handle a week with him, watching him pulling farther away from me, maybe even resenting me and our daughter because he felt trapped.

That afternoon, I should have offered to drive him home. I didn't have my car keys, but surely Nora would hand them over if I insisted. I would get the keys and I'd take Noah back to Atlanta myself.

That decided, I should have been able to fall asleep, but I still couldn't settle. I stared at the ceiling and thought of all the things I wished I'd done differently, all the ways I could have guarded my heart against Noah and never landed in this position in the first place.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Aubrey

I was seated at the kitchen table, a bowl of cereal in front of me, battling a yawn, when Noah walked into the room. He stopped when he saw me, his brow creasing. “Didn't sleep well?”

I gave him a weak smile. “I couldn't get comfortable. Listen, I want to drive you back to Atlanta. My car is at the inn and Nora has the keys, but I'm sure she'll—”

Noah ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. “I spent over an hour yesterday trying to convince her to give me my keys. She's not just going to hand over yours.”

“Maybe the two of us together can convince her. We'll get May to help us. She can find my keys and—”

“You can barely stay awake to eat breakfast,” he said. “How will you stay awake to drive back here alone after you drop me off in Atlanta?”

“I'll be fine. I just haven't woken up, yet. But if you're worried, we could try for your keys. Maybe May would steal them.”

He sighed. “Thanks for the offer, but I don't want to involve May. She's more likely to tell Mom exactly what she's doing and end up stuck here with us. I'll figure out a way home, it's not your responsibility.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but a knock at the door stopped me. Noah's expression brightened with something like hope and he hurried to the front door. I couldn't see the door from my seat in the kitchen, but I could hear everything.

“Mom,” he said. “Are you here to release us?”

“I'm just here to pick up Aubrey for her doctor's appointment,” Nora said. “Like I explained yesterday, you aren't due for release for another week.”

“Doctor?” Noah asked. “Is everything okay?”

---