Page 83 of Desiring an Angel

Me too.

A few days passed with Ash giving me more attention while I did my best to ignore Skylar and her nonstop chatter. She tried so hard to win me over, but I wouldn’t be moved in my stance against emotional involvement.

Just the thought of lowering my walls and allowing feelings to dictate my actions made me cringe.

Ash experienced indigestion after every meal, rubbing at his sternum, but told us both there was nothing to be concerned about. Those were the instances where I liked Skylar—she watched him closely, always put her hands on him with a soothing touch like he’d told me his mom had often done when he hadn’t felt well.

The way she took care of him eased some of the tension inside me, but a part of me still remained…off toward her, and I couldn’t figure out why.

Ash managed to sit through the whole meal without going to the bathroom on Thursday night and leaving Skylar and I alone but excused himself the second we finished.

With Skylar’s attention focused on cleaning off the table with me, her usual chattiness flitting from one topic to another and giving me whiplash didn’t occur.

For the first time since moving into our home, she appeared subdued, her smiles fake.

I hated that I considered her strange behavior, even more than I missed her happiness.

Ash hadn’t seemed to be aware of the change in her all through dinner, but I’d picked up on the forced sound of her laughter, the lack of a twinkle in her eyes.

Keeping Ash happy meant trying to do the same for Skylar…

“Are you alright?” I asked, my tone lacking its usual bite.

Her head whipped toward me, her lips parted in a way that made me want to ravage her mouth, and she blinked. Stared as I dried one of the wine glasses she’d washed.

“Are you alright?” she echoed, emphasis on wondering the same about me.

“I’m fine.”

“You—you’ve never asked me…um…well, it’s been a shitty couple of days.”

“Why?” I surprised myself by asking since I’d been enjoying the silence between us.

She blinked rapidly as though trying to clear her vision, or perhaps her mind, of confusion over my strange question.

I hadn’t inquired about her day or her feelings since meeting her—not a single time.

Asshole, much?

I didn’t have to get involved with my emotions, but common courtesy would be required if we decided as a whole to move forward in our relationship, the idea of which still made me want to dig in my heels and deny the possibility because…noise.

“I keep messing up at work,” she admitted, returning to washing dishes. “My focus is there—honestly, bagging groceries is no different than organizing closets.”

She definitely had a way with that. I enjoyed the hell out of the tidiness she left behind when she couldn’t sit still. That part of our personalities clicked perfectly.

“But then a squirrel snatches my attention. A screaming kid. An old man bent over his cane trying to carry two bags of groceries. My cashier’s body odor that makes me grimace and wonder why the hell he doesn’t shower. Or maybe he can’t afford deodorant. One manager twirls keys in his hand nonstop, and I can’t help but think they’re going to fly off his fingers someday, hit a woman’s face, blood will be everywhere, and a lawsuit will end up bankrupting the store so I’ll lose my job.”

Words poured from her lips like normal, and I got what she was saying without growing too annoyed over her chatter.

She faced distractions left and right with the constant ebb and flow of customers.

“You need to see a doctor,” I interjected, my stern words snapping her jaw shut.

Shoulder hunched, she continued washing and rinsing dishes before handing them to me.

“I—I won’t have insurance for another three months or so, and that’s only if I don’t get fired. My one shift manager understands ADHD—she gave me her mother-in-law’s number. She’s a doctor. Her husband’s mom, not my manager. She said the office would offer me a payment plan if I pay cash, but I can’t afford it right now since Nora shut off my cell this morning.”

She whipped her head up, her eyes wide as though she hadn’t meant to share that bit of news.

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