Page 33 of Monster Among the Roses (Fairy Tale Quartet 1)

She started to spin away, only for me to realize she was going to abandon me there to fi

nd my own way back to the house. “Isobel, wait,” I called, springing after her.

Stopping so fast I nearly ran into her, she spun back, only to stumble backward again when she realized how close I was. Eyes flaring wide, she gasped, “Yes?”

I cringed and offered her an apologetic smile. “How, uh, how exactly do I get to the kitchen from here?”

Chagrined, she blushed. “O-oh. Right. Here. I’ll just take you there.”

I fell into step behind her as we left the pool house, where I had to glance back one last time to get another look at all the coolness inside. At the end of the patio surrounding the pool, the familiar hedge maze sprang up. Isobel chose an opening and I followed her down it. It wasn’t wide enough for two people so I had to stay a step behind her.

I think that made her self-conscious, which hell yes, it should, as I was totally checking out her ass in those yoga pants. She cleared her throat and asked, “You, uh, did you get any reading done this weekend?”

Surprised she’d brought up books and reading since we’d only corresponded about them through notes, I lifted my attention from her ass to her face just as she glanced back at me over her shoulder.

“I…yes, actually, I did. Thanks for reminding me.” Transferring my book bag from my back to my chest, I unzipped the front pocket and pulled out Brisingr. “Finished it. Thank you again for the loan.” I handed it to her, and she had to stop walking and turn slightly to receive it, which brought us closer together.

Her fingers accidently skimmed past mine when she took the book. “I…” Her gaze lifted to mine, and damn, those eyes looked so freaking blue while her lashes looked so impossibly long. I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to kiss her so fucking bad.

And then she went and wetted her lips, flicking her pink tongue out over them. I nearly lost it. But I refused to make the first move. This was her call. It killed me to remain as still as possible, but I did, trying to silently convey to her with everything inside me that I was totally okay with anything she might want to do to me.

Instead of stepping closer, she cleared her throat and jerked back. “I guess you’ll need book four, then?”

I deflated a little with disappointment but managed to nod and even send her a smile. “Sure. That’d be great. Thank you.”

With a nod, she turned away and hurried off. I nearly had to jog to keep up. She didn’t speak again for the rest of the trip to the kitchen, and I didn’t trust myself to say anything either.

When we came to an opening in the hedge path, we ended up on the patio where I’d first met Kit. Isobel approached the back door and went inside, leaving it open for me to follow.

When I did, I was surprised to see Mr. Nash in the kitchen, sitting at the table and eating his breakfast. I hadn’t seen him eat in the kitchen since I’d come to work here. Granted, most days, except Saturdays, he was gone by the time I arrived. But the last two Saturdays, he’d just had a tray brought to his office for meals.

He looked up and smiled. “Morning, sweetheart. Did you have a good…?”

His voice died off as I entered and quietly closed the door behind me.

Mrs. Pan turned from the stove where she was flipping pancakes, and Kit, who’d been sitting across from Mr. Nash, dove under the table at the sight of Isobel.

“Shaw!” Mrs. Pan exclaimed. “What’re you doing here so early?”

She stood frozen, spatula in hand, waiting for an answer, while Mr. Nash seemed similarly struck.

I swallowed, not realizing until that moment how it might look to spend time with Isobel outside work hours. But there was no way to hide it now. Besides, there was nothing seedy to hide.

Still, I couldn’t help but send her a seeking glance to make sure she was okay with me outing our jogging sessions before I said, “I decided to go running with…” It was on the tip of my tongue to be formal and call her Miss Nash, but then I thought, why bother? I wasn’t hiding anything, so I finished with, “…Isobel.”

Both the cook and Isobel’s father seemed startled. I wasn’t sure if it was from the informal address or the fact that I’d run with her.

Isobel cleared her throat. “Since he came in so early, I told him he could work from six to two today, instead of his usual nine to five. That’s okay with you, isn’t it, Dad?”

“Uh…” It took her dad a few more seconds to close his mouth before he slowly gave his head a dazed bob up and down. “Sure,” he managed to answer. “Sure. Whatever you think is best, sweetheart.”

Isobel nodded too. “Good. I’m going to go take a shower.” She paused by her father to kiss him on the top of his balding head. “Have a good day,” she said before sailing from the kitchen.

Mrs. Pan and her dad both blinked before they swung their attention back to me. “I…was that okay?” I asked, now that Isobel was gone. “Running with her, I mean.”

Jarred from his shock, Mr. Nash jumped and immediately began to nod. “Yes, yes. Perfectly fine. I just…I didn’t realize you two had…”

I drew in a breath. “We, uh, well, we talked quite a bit on Saturday while we were discussing bookshelves.”

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