Page 18 of Waiting Forever
He scratches his neck, looking nervous and so adorable.
“Just say it, Nathan.” I nudge the toe of his shoe with mine.
The door swings wide open.
Nathan stiffens and we both glance at the entranceway.
A beautiful woman with curves I’ll never have greets us. She’s dressed in a silky off-the-shoulder blouse and jeans that hug her shapely figure. Sleek maple-colored hair falls perfectly around her tan face. Gold and silver bangles circle her wrists. They clink together with a pretty sound as she lowers her hand from the door.
“I thought I heard voices.” She smiles at Nathan and then her smoky gaze lands on me. A scowl forms as she takes me in from head to toe.
“You didn’t tell me you were coming over.” Nathan brushes past her with my luggage and steps inside a grand foyer. He glances over his shoulder to where I remain in place. “Come on in, Kensington.”
The woman barely makes room for me to enter. Tension fills the air, and my muscles tighten. Drama is about to happen. The kind of drama I’ve never liked, especially now, having dealt with so much of it after the incident.
Nathan takes the McDonalds bags from my arm and sets them on a round entry table.
“You ate?” the girl says as if Nathan has committed the worst crime.
I clutch the handle to my luggage and avoid making eye contact with the grumpy woman I can only assume is Nathan’s girlfriend. Nice of him to tell me about her. He had plenty of opportunities. “Point me in the direction of my room, and I’ll get out of your way.” Get away from whatever is about to go down, too.
“What’s your hurry?” the girl asks, her focus on me.
Finally, I meet her gaze. I lift my chin and straighten my spine, putting on a brave front the way my dad always taught me. “I’m not in a hurry. I’m tired. It’s been a long day.”
Her ridiculously perfect brows shoot to her hairline. “Wow. Nice to meet you, too. In case you didn’t know, I’m Nathan’s girlfriend, Harper.” She raises her hand in a friendly gesture, although the angle makes it seem like she wants me to kiss her hand rather than shake it.
Wary, I greet her with a tentative shake.
Nathan steps to her side. “If you would have given me a minute, I would have introduced you.”
Her eyes narrow, still on me. “You didn’t tell me your cousin was so pretty.”
This girl is a schemer, and she doesn’t seem to like me. “Look. I’m not here to cause problems. I explained this to Nathan already. I’ll keep to myself and will stay out of the way. You won’t even know I’m here.” To Nathan, I say, “My room, please?”
Harper reels back and gasps like I slapped her. She glares at Nathan. “I don’t like this.”
He sighs. “What else is new?” He nudges my hand from the suitcase. “I’ll show you to your room and give you a tour of the house once you’ve settled in.” His gaze slides to Harper. “Wait in my room. I’ll just be a minute.”
She huffs but doesn’t push the topic.
I follow Nathan through an archway and into a great room that opens to the kitchen and a casual dining area. The ceilings vault with light wood beams that match the wood floors. Everything is airy and bright, the opposite of the heavy brick and dark cabinetry and furnishings of my home in Dallas.
The tension in my chest eases, and I exhale. I could get used to living in a place like this.
Nathan turns down a hallway off the dining area. We pass several doors until we reach the end. He steps into a room on the left. “My mom wanted you to have the master bedroom, but I knew you wouldn’t be comfortable with that.”
“Yeah. No way. I’m not using your parents’ bedroom.” Not that they ever come here, but still.
“This is the biggest guest room. If you’d rather stay upstairs near me, there is another guest room on that floor you might like. It has a view to the lake out back.”
Near his room? After meeting his girlfriend, I’ll pass. “This is great. Thank you.” I take in the L-shaped space. A king-sized bed with nightstands on either side sits directly across from the entrance but a fair distance from the door. The left half of the room has a reading nook with floor-to-ceiling bookcases, a desk, and a couch that rests against a wall of windows. The view is to a private garden, enclosed by a wall. A fountain trickles in the center, surrounded by blue and yellow flowers. They match the color scheme of the room. French doors to the left of the bed open into the garden, where a stone pathway leads to a wooden gate.
I point to it. “Where does that go?”
“The gate?” He raises a brow, and I nod. “It leads to the side of the house.”
“So I could come and go from there?” A private entrance would help me stay out of the way.
