Page 20 of Give Me a Reason

With nothing to do, I turned on the TV. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, the front door was opening.

It shut with a click before I managed to rouse myself from the cushion. Blinking my eyes open, I said, “Sorry. I must have fallen asleep.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s late.”

The clock on the wall said midnight. I hadn’t asked him what time he would be home. Now I was wondering if I was going to be any good at work tomorrow. I liked to get there earlier than Gia, and she came in at seven.

I stood, wobbling a bit before he took two large steps to cross the room and stabilize me. “I’d better get home. I have an early day tomorrow.”

“Are you sure this isn’t too much for you? Do you work a nine-to-five at Gia’s office?”

I smiled. “Something like that.”

“Let me walk you out.”

I cleared the sleep out of my throat and gathered my things. “We ate spaghetti. I left a plate in the fridge. She went to sleep right away.”

“Good.”

“I told you she wouldn’t be a problem,” I said when we arrived at my car. “You didn’t have to walk me out.”

“Are you sure you’re okay to drive home?”

“Of course.” Sleeping on parents’ couches was nothing new. Except I wasn’t a kid anymore, and now I had two jobs.

He pressed a stack of bills into my hand.

“Oh, you don’t have to pay me each day. You can do it weekly or whatever.”

“It’s just easier to pay you this way, if that’s okay.”

“Of course.” I’d wait to count the bills. We hadn’t discussed a wage, and that might have been a mistake. I was so distracted by him; I hadn’t even thought of it.

“If it’s not enough, let me know. I want to make this worth your while.” Then his tongue darted out to lick his bottom lip. I swayed slightly, and he caught me. “Are you sure you’re okay to drive?”

Embarrassed, I stepped back. “Absolutely. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

I got into my car and backed up without looking to see if he was watching me. I knew he was. He was that kind of guy.

Nothing about him added up. His not wanting a relationship, even if his parents were divorced many times over, didn’t jibe with the rest of his personality. Would he be different if his parents had stayed married to each other?

If he’d been raised by my parents, would he believe in love? Did it even matter? I couldn’t date the father of the girl I was babysitting. Besides, Gia had her own set of rules I wouldn’t break.

My future depended on me walking a straight line in this situation. On one end, there was an angel telling me to stay the course, and at the other, a devil was reminding me how much I wanted to taste Finn, and that I should go for it.

When I got home, there was a group of rowdy teenagers in the parking lot, like usual. Thankfully, they were at the other end, and I quickly crossed the parking lot to my apartment, unlocked it, and slipped inside. I didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until I was safely inside.

Coming home late at night wasn’t a good idea. I squeezed my eyes shut against the fear. When I felt less shaky, I got dressed and climbed into bed. The adrenaline from the parking lot was still in my system, and I wasn’t sure I’d easily fall asleep.

I grabbed my phone to see a missed message. It was Finn, asking if I’d made it home okay. I tried not to let those words affect me, but they did. I quickly texted back that I was in bed.

It was sweet that Finn cared about my safety. My parents needed to leave us alone to work. It was a necessity. They didn’t have the luxury of protecting us in the same way as other parents. I was forced to grow up early.

I wasn’t angry at them. It was just our reality. Our parents did the best they could. If they’d had more money and time, I was positive my experience would have been similar to Finn’s. But it wasn’t, and there was zero chance he’d change his mind about commitment and fall for me.

You couldn’t blame a girl for holding out hope. But thinking you could change a guy was a waste of time. Finn had always been clear about who he was, and I needed to remember that.

CHAPTER SIX

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