Page 23 of Wrong Number. Right Don.
“No,” he replies quickly. “Not at all. Have you thought more about my offer?”
“Yes,” I answer breathlessly.
There’s a charged silence on the line.
“Yes?” he asks, and I realize my yes can be misinterpreted.
“When can I start?” I ask, casting out all doubt.
“I can make arrangements whenever you’re ready,” he says, confidence threading through every syllable. “We can get it all done by the end of the week if you can be ready that quickly.”
“Okay,” I squeak, gripping the edge of the couch cushion, curling my fingers into the fabric.
“I’m glad you said yes,” he murmurs, igniting a heat inside of me.
That same dizzy swirl that sparked the first night we texted surges through me now. I nod, even though he can’t see me. As soon as the call ends, I sit there staring at the dark TV screen, my reflection staring back, wide-eyed and unsure. I’ve just agreed to move into a stranger’s home. A very rich, very intense, very enigmatic stranger, who also happens to be the father of my secret child.
I keep stacking reckless life choices, one on top of the other.
9
NICOLE
After I agree to help Mrs.Volkova, things move fast. I apply for a leave of absence from the hospital, and it’s approved just two days later. I can’t help thinking Sergei had something to do with the lightning-fast approval. The timing aligns perfectly with his mother’s discharge. Between juggling shifts, tying up loose ends at work, and coordinating with Human Resources, I haven’t had much time to sit down and truly process what I’m about to do.
I’ve been keeping myself busy so I don’t spiral. Even now, rifling through my closet and deciding what to pack for my temporary home, I focus on the task so I won’t overthink the rest.
Mia lounges on my bed, scrolling lazily through her phone, though we both know it’s a ruse. Every so often she glances up, as if about to speak, then thinks better of it. She hasn’t really said anything about my decision, which is unusual for her. When I first told her I planned to leave the hospital to care for Sergei’s mom full-time, I expected her to jump down my throat. But, oddly, she just asked if I needed her to take care of my apartment. I seriously couldn’t ask for a better friend.
“I still can’t believe you’re really doing this.” Mia sighs from my bed. She’s been lounging there for the last half hour while I’ve packed. “Why are you leaving me?”
I pause, sweatshirt in hand, and glance at her, my heart aching at the thought. What am I going to do without my daily dose of Mia?
“It’s just temporary,” I remind her. “As soon as Mrs.Volkova is back on her feet, I’ll be back and it’ll be like I was never gone.”
Something in my voice must give me away, because she sets her phone on her stomach and studies me, brows knitting.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
The question hangs between us while I search for an honest answer. I can’t lie to my best friend, but the truth is I don’t know if I’m okay. So much is up in the air. I’ve been dissociating, cramming each worry into its own compartment so I don’t have to face any of them.
I sit on the edge of the bed and wipe a damp palm down my thigh.
“I’m pretty nervous,” I admit. There’s no hiding it from her, she’s fluent in Nicole.
“About living with Sergei?” she asks, sitting up to meet my eyes.
“It’s a lot to process at once.” I let out a slow breath. “This could change my life, or it could be a huge mistake. I have no idea which.”
“Well, it’s a lot of fucking money,” she jokes. “I’d love to make that kind of mistake.”
I grab a decorative pillow and hurl it at her. She shrieks, then bursts into laughter. “All right, all right. Just don’t forget us little people when you’re a legit millionaire.”
“That money is going straight into an account for the baby,” I remind her, repeating the plan I made the second Sergei offered that ridiculous sum. “After all, it’s his baby—even if he doesn’t know it yet. Think of it as child support paid up front.”
“And he would probably give you even more if heknewyou were having his baby,” she says, voicing the same argument that’s been circling my head since I accepted the offer. “You see how much he cares about his mom. I’m sure he’d be even more protective of his child.”
“Or he might ask me to get rid of it.”
