24. Sabrina
CHAPTER 24
SAbrINA
I’m exhausted from keeping up with Maddie as we popped into one shop after another in London. Noah’s credit card has done a lot of work today too.
Maddie digs through the bags, pulling out the various stuffed animals. She had to have them, though we’ll have to ship them back to one of their houses because there’s no way we’ll have room to take all this stuff with us as the tournament continues.
“Isn’t it so cute?” She turns to me, holding out a croissant-shaped stuffie. “It even has a little face.”
It’s adorable. They all are. Even the little peanut keychain she picked out for me and the tennis ball she chose for her dad.
When a knock sounds on the door, I pad over and peer through the peephole.
Smiling, I throw it open. “Hey, Ebba.”
“Hello, darlings.” She pulls me into a hug, the affection so sudden and unexpected that I stiffen. “Oh, sorry. I forget not everyone likes to be touched.”
“It’s not that.” I laugh a little nervously. “I just wasn’t expecting it.”
“I’m a hugger.” She brushes past me, a designer bag hooked over one elbow. “I hear we’re having a sleepover.”
“Yes!” Maddie hops up on the bed and holds out the smiling sun keychain.
Eyes softening, Ebba clutches it to her chest. “That’s so sweet of you. I’ll cherish this forever.” Immediately, she clips it to her fancy bag, then sets her things down on the desk across from the beds.
“We got sleeping bags. And blankets and snacks. Sabrina said we could order pizza too. And we’re going to have a tea service tomorrow. It’s going to be so much fun.”
I pointed out that we did not need sleeping bags, but Maddie insisted. In her mind, they’re a must for sleepovers.
“Sounds like it.” Ebba claps, then turns to me. “What’s up with the room situation? Doesn’t Noah usually reserve suites? It’s a bit tight in here, though I suppose that’s part of the fun of a sleepover too.”
“He does, but he said they were booked this time.” I sit on the edge of the bed and press the toe of one boot to the heel of the other to remove it.
“Mmm,” she hums. “So, Maddie Girl, are you excited for your first sleepover?”
Maddie bobs her head enthusiastically. “This is going to be fun.”
Ebba leans against the dresser, somehow making the pose look elegant. “Have any movies picked out?”
Maddie purses her lips. “What kind of movies are the best for sleepovers?”
“The classics, sweetie.” Ebba’s eyes sparkle. “And by classics, I mean Sleepover with Alexa Vega, of course. An iconic film, if you ask me. Parent Trap is a good one. Sabrina, do you have any suggestions?”
I balk, put on the spot. “Uh… Mean Girls ?” The second the suggestion is out, I snap my mouth shut. “Uh, actually, not that one. Um…”
Ebba straightens and gives me a teasing smile. “I’ll handle the movie selection.”
“That might be best.” Despite my career goals and love for kids, I clearly can’t be trusted to make age-appropriate movie choices.
After ordering the pizzas and changing into our pajamas—matching pink and purple sets that Maddie picked out—we stretch out the sleeping bags and Ebba puts the first movie on.
I’ve just gotten sucked into the storyline when my phone buzzes.
I stand and slide it into my pocket. “I’ll be right back. Pizza’s here.”
“Yay, pizza!” Maddie cheers. “Hurry. I’m starving .” She goes from ecstatic to dramatic in a blink, rolling onto her back, hand pressed to her forehead like she’s seconds from perishing.
My laughter echoes down the hall as the door shuts behind me.
It isn’t until I’m stepping into the elevator that I remember I’m wearing pajamas. So far, I haven’t seen a soul, but downstairs, as my luck would have it, I come face to face with Noah and Elias. From what I understood, Elias isn’t competing in this tournament—just here to keep up his training for Wimbledon—so it surprises me to see them entering the lobby together.
Elias spots me first and, eyes twinkling, swaggers over. As much as I want to cringe at his cocky display, I can’t deny he’s good-looking, even if his ego is a little inflated. Though he may be one of the most gorgeous men on the planet, I only have eyes for my boss, who’s also sexy as hell, but much more subtle.
“If it isn’t my favorite nanny,” Elias cajoles, dressed like he just came from the courts.
“Hi, Elias,” I say, sidestepping to grab the pizza boxes from the delivery guy.
“Thanks so much.” I take them from him and hand him a cash tip. As he walks away, I question whether I should’ve given him a tip at all. Tipping, I’m learning, is mostly American. I shrug off my worry. The guy had to deliver them here, so in my book, he’s earned the gratuity.
“Let me help you with those.” Noah takes the boxes from my arms before I can protest.
Elias cocks his head and takes me in from my slipper-covered feet to the top of my head. “Nice pajamas.”
“Thanks. Maddie picked them for our sleepover.”
“Ah, yes.” He hums, chin dipping. “My sister mentioned it.” He wets his lips and angles in a couple of inches. “Where’s my invite?”
Noah growls.
I can’t help but roll my eyes. “Lost in the mail, I’m afraid.”
Elias chuckles. “I like you.”
“Stay away from her.” The growl has only grown more sinister.
Elias straightens and, fighting a grin, says, “You know that just makes me like her more, right?”
“Don’t fucking care. Come on, Curls, before I kill my hitting partner.”
Too surprised by that statement to object, I follow Noah to the elevators. We step inside and turn to face the front. As the doors slide shut, Elias winks at me.
“You were practicing with Elias?”
“Yeah. Our coaches thought it would be good for us. My strengths are his weaknesses and vice versa, so we might as well learn from each other.”
“And you didn’t kill each other?”
He shoots me a droll look. “We’re both still alive, aren’t we?”
His irritation is more amusing than it should be. I lift one shoulder playfully. “For now.”
Noah shakes his head as the doors open on our floor.
“By the way.” He clears his throat. “Thank you for doing this for Maddie. It means a lot to her, experiencing these kinds of normal kid things. I think she needs the girl time too. She spent so much time with her mom, and now all she’s got is me.” Deflated, he sighs. “So often I wish I was the one who’d gotten sick. Maddie needs her mom more than she does me.”
Intense pain blooms in my chest, absolutely obliterating my heart.
“Noah. No. She needs you too.” The words aren’t anywhere near adequate enough, but they’re all I’ve got. I’m still too stunned by his confession.
“That might be so,” he says, his voice devoid of all confidence, “but not as much as she needs her mom.”
I wish there was a magic solution here, one that would instantly make him feel better. That would allow him to understand that he’s exactly what his daughter needs. But nothing I can come up with seems even remotely adequate.
“Do you want to join us?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “I’ll take the pizzas in for you, and then I’ll hang in my room. Maddie doesn’t need her dad crashing her first sleepover.”
“Noah—”
Before I can argue against the statement, he swoops down and captures my mouth with his own. Caught off guard, I stand frozen for two or three heartbeats before I practically melt. If it weren’t for the pizza boxes, I’d probably throw myself at him.
All too soon, he pulls back and regards me. The soft brown of his eyes is darker than normal.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to beg him to do that again, but I swallow the words down. I’d like to say it’s because I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing how viscerally he affects me, but mostly it’s because Maddie is on the other side of the door.
From the heat in his eyes, he wants more too, but he’s holding back.
God, this is so complicated.
It was obvious the first time we met that there was a mutual attraction, but with his bristly personality, I never in a million years thought I’d end up developing feelings for him.
With a deep breath, I swipe my key card, put my game face on, and push the door open so he can enter with the pizzas.
“Look who I ran into in the lobby.”
“Daddy!” Maddie hops up from her sleeping bag. Parent Trap plays in the background. “Look! We’re having a real sleepover!”
He sets the pizzas on the desk. “I see that, kiddo.” He ruffles her hair affectionately. “And look at all these.”
He surveys the line of stuffed animals on the bed and all the other junk we purchased.
The lucky stuffies will sleep well tonight while my back will be screaming tomorrow. Camping out on the floor wouldn’t have been my first choice, but the aches and pains will be worth it if it means Maddie is happy.
“They’re my friends,” she says as she bounces to the nightstand. “I got this for you.” She picks up the neon-green ball wearing a smile that dangles from a keychain. “For your tennis bag.”
Noah’s eyes soften, and I swear his bottom lip trembles almost imperceptibly as he reaches out to take the keychain from his daughter.
“Thank you, Mads.” With a thick swallow, he clears his throat and says, “I’ll leave you ladies to your sleepover.”
Maddie launches herself at him and grasps his wrist. “You gotta have pizza with us first.”
“I…” His brows furrow. “Y-You want me to stay?”
My heart pangs, and if I’m not careful, there’s a good chance there’ll be hearts dancing in my eyes. Flustered Noah should not be this adorable.
“Yeah. I mean, you can’t sleep over. That’s for girls, but pizza is fine.”
He rubs his jaw, clearly trying to hide how her invitation has affected him.
“I’ll grab the plates. Ebba, want to help me?” I ask, hoping to give him a moment to gather himself.
I picked up pink plates and napkins while we were out. Maybe I went overboard, but I can’t help it. I’ll do everything I can to make this experience special for Maddie. This is the kind of normal kid thing I never got to be part of when I was a girl. There was no way I’d invite friends to my house. The place was always too volatile. And for the longest time, I worried other parents behaved the way mine did, and I was wary of staying in a place where I might be caught off guard.
“There are cupcakes in the fridge too,” I say, filling the momentary silence when Ebba pauses the movie.
“Cupcakes?” Noah muses.
I spin around, confused by the mirth in his tone.
Eyes twinkling, he says, “I think I prefer cheesecake.”
A tiny gasp escapes me. It’s quiet enough that if the movie were still playing, it would have gone unnoticed, but I’m not that lucky. Beside me, Ebba looks up from pulling the stack of cups out of their plastic sleeve, one brow cocked.
Shit. I am interested in spilling the details about the night of our first kiss and what followed.
Noah appears at my other side and takes the plates from me. “All right, ladies, what kind of pizza do you want?”
Maddie throws a hand up. “Cheese!”
We all settle on our respective sleeping bags with our food, except Noah, who silently shoos me to one side of mine and plops down so we’re knee to knee.
Ebba sends me another look that tells me I’m going to be grilled the moment we’re alone.
With one more glance at us, she hits Play on the remote, and the four of us chow down while we watch. Even after Noah finishes his dinner, he stays, remaining focused on the movie. About halfway through, he slowly stands and stretches his arms above his head.
“I’m heading to my room. Have fun, Mads.” He crouches beside her and kisses the top of her head.
He silently holds his hand out for her plate, then gathers mine and Ebba’s. Once he’s tossed them in the small trashcan beneath the desk, he slips through the adjoining door, but not before we make eye contact.
I instantly look away, cheeks heating.
When the movie is over, Ebba hops up. “It’s time for facials.”
Twenty minutes later, the three of us are wearing face masks and Maddie has talked us into manicures.
When she clambers to her feet to find the container we stuck all the nail supplies in, Ebba cringes silently.
“She’s pretty good,” I whisper. “Don’t look so scared.”
When our little friend reappears wearing a smile, I can’t help but match her expression.
“Who do you want to do first?” I ask her.
“You,” she answers in a tone that tells me I should have known the answer. “What color do you want?”
“You pick.”
I’ve never had the extra cash to splurge on manicures, so Maddie is the only person who’s touched my nails since I met her. By now, she’s painted them just about every color, so I figure I might as well let her pick.
“Hmm.” She taps her bottom lip as she surveys the options. “This one.” She plucks out a glittery plum color.
As she works, Ebba watches with rapt attention.
“You are pretty good at that.”
Maddie pulls her shoulders back, beaming. “Thank you. Now it’s your turn.”
Unlike me, Ebba chooses her color. From the way she wrinkles her nose, I assume that none of the vibrant choices are exactly her taste. She ends up going with a coral pink.
By the time the second movie ends, Maddie is getting sleepy, but she’s fighting it. I can’t blame her for wanting to make her first sleepover last as long as possible.
“Time for truth or dare.” Ebba claps once.
With a huff, I give her a side-eyed glance.
“What?” She bats her eyes innocently. “It’s a sleepover staple.”
“Dare,” Maddie declares boldly. “I want a dare.”
Ebba tilts her head from side to side, lips pressed together. “I dare you to show us your best dance moves.”
Without hesitation, Maddie jumps up and gives it her all, eliciting giggles from all three of us.
“When you’re older”—Ebba says, gripping her little wrist lightly—“remind me to show you some real dance moves.”
Maddie waves her hand wildly, like she’s sitting in a classroom, eager to answer a question. “Is it my turn to ask?”
“Sure is.” Ebba stretches her legs out in front of her.
She turns to me. “Sabrina, I dare?—”
I bark out a laugh. “Hey, missy. You have to ask me truth or dare first.”
“Oh.” Her cheeks pinken, and she drops back onto her sleeping bag. “Truth or dare?”
I sigh dramatically and let my shoulders drop. “I guess I’ll do dare.”
Bouncing in place, she claps and squeals. “I dare you to text my dad.”
My heart lurches. That was not what I was expecting.
Heart racing, I pull out my phone, doing my best to keep my expression even. “Anything in particular you want me to say?”
Of all the things she could’ve come up with, why did it have to be that?
“Um.” She taps her bottom lip. “You should ask him on a date.”
My whole body freezes—my heart, my lungs, everything. Beside me, Ebba presses her lips together, no doubt to keep from bursting into laughter.
When I regain the ability to breathe, I suck in a harsh breath. “You want me to ask your dad on a date?”
“Sure.” She shrugs. “Why not?”
With a deep inhale, I unlock my phone. I type out the text, and for a moment, all I do is stare at it. Finally, I work up the nerve to click Send.
Maddie stands and hops up and down. “What did he say? What did he say?”
“He hasn’t replied yet.” I lock the screen and set the phone down screen side down.
“Maybe he’s in the shower,” she reasons. “Your turn.”
Relieved to change the subject, I turn to my new friend. “Truth or dare?”
Sighing, Ebba stretches her legs out in front of her. “Since you both chose dare, I’ll go with truth.”
Letting my nosiness get the best of me, I shift so I’m facing her head-on. “Did you date Fisher? I sense there’s something there.”
She stiffens, her attention shifting around the room. “Yes,” she finally answers, her tone soft. “My brother doesn’t know. No one knows, actually. That’s why it ended. We were both… I guess what we had wasn’t deep enough. Rather than come out and tell everyone we were together, we just…” She shrugs. “Ended it.”
“Fisher,” Maddie says, her eyes like saucers. “Like my Uncle Fisher?”
“Yes.” Ebba swallows harshly. “But you can’t tell your dad, okay?”
Nose scrunched, the little girl huffs. “Why not?”
Ebba shrugs and sighs. “It’s easier that way.”
“Okay,” she says easily as she sits again. She’s just plopped onto her butt when my phone buzzes. “Is that my dad?” she asks brightly, almost vibrating with energy.
Heart thumping, I pick it up and unlock it.
Noah: Are you really asking me on a date, Curls?
Excitement and embarrassment battle inside me. How do I answer that? Yes, I’d love to see him again, but would I have asked without Maddie’s dare? No.
Me: It was a dare from your daughter.
Little dots appear, then disappear, and a second later, they’re back, and a single word comes through.
Noah: Oh.
My stomach sinks. What the hell does that mean? Is he disappointed?
Me: Unless that’s something you want.
I play with a strand of hair, eyes glued to the device, while I wait for his response. He makes me nervous, but in a good way. I think.
“What did he say?” Ebba tilts to one side and tries to snatch my phone from my hand.
Before she can take it, I clutch it to my chest. It buzzes there, sending my pulse skittering.
Noah: Do YOU actually want to go on a date with me?
I bite my lip. God, I want to, but this man terrifies me. My feelings confuse me. I’m attracted to him, that’s a fact, but most of the time I also want to wring his neck.
Me: Yes.
Noah: We’re going on a date then.
All the air leaves me. The bossiness really does come in handy sometimes, I guess.
Noah: We kind of did already, but this one will be a real date.
Noah: I’ll make reservations.
“What did he say?” Maddie is back, dancing on the tips of her toes in front of me.
“Come on, tell us,” Ebba pleads.
“We’re going on a date.”
“Yay!” Maddie cheers and Ebba claps.
Next door, the unmistakable laughter that belongs to Noah rings out.
I heave a sigh. “No more truth or dare. It’s time for bed, missy.”
Frowning, she crosses her arms and lowers her chin. “It’s not even that late.”
With a pointed look at the clock, I say, “It’s a lot later than you usually stay up. We can start a movie, but we all have to lay down in our sleeping bags, okay?”
“Fine,” she agrees with a huff.
I braid my hair loosely, then dig my silk sleeping bonnet out of my bag and put it on.
Ebba pulls hers out too, and with her lips pursed, Maddie studies each of us.
“What’s that?”
“It’s a silk bonnet,” I explain, running my fingers over the fabric. “It helps protect your hair.”
Maddie’s mouth ticks down. “I don’t have one. Do I need one?”
Warmth blooms in my chest at her concern. “Not necessarily. You have a different hair texture, but honestly, a bonnet is beneficial for all hair types. I have an extra one if you want it.”
She nods, her eyes lighting up. “Yes, please.”
Ebba braids her hair while I search through my luggage. When I find it, I pull out the bright pink material with a flourish.
“Found it.”
Ebba takes it from me and puts it carefully on Maddie’s head, making sure to secure it so it’s tight enough to stay on but shouldn’t be uncomfortable.
When it’s in place, Maddie touches it gently and beams. “Look at us. We all match.”
My heart melts. This little girl has no idea how much better she’s made my life. “That we do.”
Ebba starts the movie while Maddie wiggles her way into her sleeping bag, and fifteen minutes later, she’s out cold.
When she starts snoring lightly, Ebba says, “Let me know when the date is. I want to help you get ready.”
My heart skips a beat at the realization: I’m going on a date with my boss.
“I will.”
It takes a little while, but eventually I drift off to sleep as well.