Page 14 of The Workaholic Down the Hall

“Your mother kidnapped me and stranded me in a cabin in the middle of nowhere. Can you come get me?”

May laughed loud and long. “That's funny, Aubrey. What's really going on? What do you…Hold on, Mom just walked in the door.”

“Aubrey?” Nora said. “Is everything okay? Is the baby okay?”

I considered lying just to get the woman back there, but I didn't want to upset her. “Physically I'm fine, but everything is not okay. You kidnapped me and locked me up here…I appreciate the house, I really do, but you can't force me to stay here just because you think I need to rest.”

“Aubrey, dear, I think your pregnancy hormones are making you dramatic. George moved your furniture from your condo, with Mimi's help, so you'd be more comfortable. The kitchen is stocked, you've got Netflix and Amazon Prime on the T.V., and I left you a mountain of books to read. You just relax and take care of that baby.”

I hadn't really believed Nora was going to keep me there until that moment. I was seriously trapped. “I have responsibilities. I need to be able to reach the management company for my rentals. People will worry—” People might be an exaggeration, but Mimi would worry if she tried to call and I didn't answer.

“Aubrey, please calm down,” Nora said. “I've called your management company and given them my number. That's why I was asking you about them yesterday, I'm not really looking to get into the rental property business. Everyone else who might worry about you will know to call me. Just get some rest and everything will look brighter in the morning. I promise.”

A distinct click over the line let me know she'd hung up. I put the receiver back in the cradle and stared at the ancient phone. I could call Mimi and ask her what the hell she'd been thinking letting George move all my furniture. She'd help me. Although, even if Mimi did rescue me, I'd have no idea where to go. I didn't want to go back to Atlanta.

I dialed Mimi's number from memory, but got her voice mail. I left her a message to call me at the number on the phone.

I paced the kitchen for a while, wondering what I should do. I wasn't interested in sitting around watching television and resting. I loved that Nora cared so much, but she couldn't dictate every moment of my life. I paced some more, trying to think of someone I could call, someone who's number I had memorized, when I had an idea.

***

“I'm really glad you called,” Oscar said. He shoved his glasses up on his nose and smiled. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt advertising a local diner. His hair was messy and not in a stylish way, but his smile was warm and open. Oscar was a very good-looking guy, not just because he had sculpted cheek bones and a strong jaw, but because he was a genuinely healthy person. He was fit and trim and his plate was covered almost entirely in vegetables. I hadn't known you could find vegetables other than broccoli and tiny corn at a Chinese Buffet, but Oscar had found them. His casual style and his messy hair made his overt attractiveness somehow less intimidating. “Eating alone every night gets old.”

I laughed. “If I was worried you thought this was a date, you just cured me of it.” I used the plastic chopsticks to pick up some more lo Mein and stuffed it in my mouth. I loved a good Chinese buffet and this one was awesome. It was just off Main Street, down a side street, and it was large and busy. Before dinner, Oscar had shown me around the downtown area a bit. It wasn't huge, but there were adorable, locally-owned shops up and down Main Street. There were two bookstores, one used, one new, and the people we'd seen out and about had been friendly, but not small-town friendly. They'd said hello, but hadn't stopped to ask me where I was from or when the baby was due. Catalpa Creek had a small-town feel but the tourist population and the presence of the local University gave it a big-town mentality as well.

Oscar's brows rose. “That wasn't a particularly romantic thing to say, was it?”

Now it was my turn to worry. “Wait, you weren't actually trying to be—”

“No, but I didn't mean to be insulting either and what I said…Actually, everything I've said…” He dropped his head into his hands. “This is why I eat alone.”

I laughed with relief and genuine humor. “I understand what you meant and I'm actually relieved to know you aren't interested in me. I feel zero attraction to you, and I'm not in a place to date at the moment, since I'm five short weeks away from popping out a human, so—”

He frowned. “Wait, you aren't even a tiny bit attracted to me? My first impression of you was that you're gorgeous and I felt a tingle.”

“You felt a tingle?”

“It was brief,” he said, with a wave of one hand. “You didn't even feel a tingle?”

I considered my options. I could lie to make him feel better or I could be brutally honest and lower his already-low dating confidence. “I felt a tingle,” I said. “Of course, I felt a tingle. You're a kind, friendly, warm—”

“Hot.”

“Very attractive man. I felt a tingle, but it's gone now and I'd like us to be the kind of friends who say what's on their mind without worrying that they've hurt the other person's feelings. I'll tell you if you cross a line.”

Oscar smiled. “I can get behind that plan. And, since we're going to be best friends, I can ask if you're having a boy or a girl.”

I ignored the pain his words caused. He was joking, he didn't seriously consider me his best friend, but his words still made me think of Noah, a best friend who wouldn't even talk to me. I missed him. I missed him so much I felt raw and vulnerable at the mention of the phrase best friend. Still, Oscar knew exactly how to get on my good side. “I'm having a little girl.”

He tilted his head and gave me a smug look. “Fun clothes, fun hair, teenage drama. Name?”

I stared at him, eyebrows high.

He shrugged. “I have sisters and nieces, I know more than I'll ever need to know.”

That got my attention. “You don't want to have kids?”

Some undecipherable emotion flickered across his face. “I'd have to find a woman who felt more than a fleeting tingle for me. Doesn't seem likely.” He mock pouted, obviously joking, but there was a real sadness under the pretend sorrow.

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