Page 4 of One Night

I close the door to Ellie’s room and turn right into the space I was told was for me. The door springs open and a rush of cool air hits me in the face with the soft scent of citrus and wildflowers. The bed is made up with an olive green quilt, and there’s a side table with a dim lamp and a vase of daisies. I get the feeling Colton knew all along I’d be staying tonight.

My heart squeezes and my chest does the flipping-flop thing again as I add that thought to the way he looked at me at the kitchen table. His gaze rose and held with mine for a solid second before he looked away, seemingly flustered. We were only talking about where I’d sleep. If he didn’t think of me like that, would he have been nervous?

My phone comes to life in my pocket. It’s my sister. I need to tell her tonight is off. It’s for good reason, but I feel a little guilty ditching her, considering her overall mental state lately. She’s really been struggling since her divorce, and I think she liked the extra company the last few days.

“Hey… how’s your morning going?”

She drags in a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “Just finished with my ads. I’m babysitting the new guy for a bit to see if he can handle the tech board before I head home. How’d the interview go?”

“I got the job! It started like twenty minutes ago. Can we take a rain check on tonight?”

“Of course. I’ve got research to do for tomorrow’s show, anyway. Did you manage to keep it in your pants, or have you made giant, life altering mistakes already?” She laughs after her statement. “You know you could call into the show, and I could give you some official advice.”

I laugh. “Official? Are you sure? Last week you went on for ten minutes about the color of the gazebo on Main Street.”

“It’s purple. There should never be a purple gazebo… anywhere.” I can almost hear her eyes roll. “Anyway, have you’ve kept your panties on or not?”

“Yes, panties are still in place. I’m taking inventory of the house right now. He made a room up for me and picked me flowers from the field.”

“Don’t read into it. Maybe Ellie picked the flowers.”

“Why do you feel the need to crush my fantasies?”

“Umm… because this one needs to be crushed, little sister. Sorry!” The buzz of a radio hums in the background.

“Do you know what happened to his wife, ex-wife, girlfriend, or… baby mama, whatever? I don’t remember hearing anything about her.”

“Does it matter? You’re just there to work.” An alarm goes off in the background and she sighs. “Ugh, I gotta run. The new guy hit the wrong button and pulled the next show off air. Small town radio. I’ll call you in the morning. Be good!”

The line disconnects and I go back to studying the thoughtfully designed bedroom. I hadn’t seen the rocking chair and stack of books until now. Why would he go to all this trouble for someone he wasn’t into? Then again, why would he be into me?

I need to knock this off.

“Excuse me?” a soft feminine voice echoes in behind me.

I turn back quickly to see a woman about my age with long blonde hair in perfect ringlets. I’ve never been attracted to women, but I’m not sure I need to be to appreciate how drop dead insanely gorgeous this girl is. Her nose is a perfect button, her eyes are bright greenish blue, and her skin is like porcelain. It’s hard to look away from her.

“Yeah, hi. Umm… I’m sorry. Should I know you?”

“Oh, sorry. No. I, ugh,” she holds out a perfectly manicured hand with pretty French tip nails, “I’m Brittney. I’m Becca’s mom. Nora’s been at my house this morning. I dropped off some lunch, and I thought I’d come inside and say hi to the new nanny.”

She brought him lunch?Isn’t that nice?

“I’m Nora.” I notice I’m still holding her hand, so I release it quickly. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt uglier in my life. “Started today.”

“That’s what Colty said.”

Colty?

“I kept telling him he didn’t need a nanny. I’ve got so much time on my hands since my husband left, I’d have been happy to help him out.” She lands her tiny hand against her tiny hip.

How the hell did this woman have a husband and a child already? She’s young. She’s my age, maybe a year or two older. Also, I’m pretty sure she’s posturing right now.

“Well, he’s close friends with my dad. So,” I shake my head back and forth, trying not to overthink this very over thinkable situation, “I guess he figured I knew Ellie already.”

The woman smiles and pushes back her long hair. “That’s cute. Well, the kids are playing downstairs, so I’ll get out of your hair. I also left a meal in the fridge for dinner. I’ve been dropping meals off for Colty lately. He’s so overwhelmed. The man is a saint.”

Why do I feel possessive over him?Why do I want to grab this woman by her hair, drag her down the stairs, and toss her into the street? I’m not a violent person. At least I wasn’t until right now.

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