Chapter 16
sixteen
Nessa
Mateo is tied up in meetings with investors this week, so I take advantage of the alone time and use the spare key to pick up the binder.
I swear that’s the only reason I’m here. Okay, I also want to see how he’s changed the place. I’ve refrained from snooping when I visit, but I have no shame now that I’m here alone.
The baby blue plaid couch, blessedly, has not been replaced. It’s a close copy of the one from Full House , and Stef loves to make a never-ending stream of jokes about her proximity to becoming a Tanner. I’m just shocked she hasn’t also added a bear in a trench coat to it.
With a sigh, I drop onto the cushions and open the binder. I knew he’d emailed everyone, but from the look of things, he’s done so much more than that.
Color me impressed.
He followed up in person with each local vendor, even taking notes about the visits that include a typed checklist of next steps with tick boxes beside each line.
And, damn, he’s created a detailed map of the stalls with information on their preferences.
Holy shit—this level of organization is sexy.
Though the last thing I want is to fall for this man, it’s hard to remember why when, as I snoop, all I find are spotless, sparsely decorated spaces.
Even the bedroom is relatively unchanged other than the crisp white bedding and a tan throw blanket.
There’s a masculine catchall on the dresser with a watch, a key fob, a few random buttons, and coins.
Lee’s art studio has been turned into a home office.
This room is filled with more personal items than any of the others.
Mostly sports memorabilia. A shrine to Jordan Clarkson, a replica pair of Robert Stephenson’s cleats from 2023, and some other items reflecting Filipino Americans in pro sports.
Just about every item is accompanied by a plaque from one charity auction or another. Wow.
Dammit. None of this is helping me quell the attraction I feel for him. If I can’t be turned off, then I guess it’s time to make myself look a little less ideal. Pulling out my phone, I place a call.
“Hey Bea, it’s Nessa.” I don’t bother to fight my smile. “I wanted to confirm that we’re set for the overflow housing. I’m here now. Let me give you the address. I’ll have space cleared for everyone.”
An hour later, a large passenger van is parked on the curb, and Bea and Jim, as well as a few high school volunteers, haul items into the house.
“Shua!” I call out.
He comes my way, holding a soft carrier with a mesh front.
“Who is this?” I coo at the creature peering up at me.
“They don’t have names yet.” Shrugging, he walks past me.
“Aw, bubbale! We need to name these babies.” I baby talk to him and the animal in question as I follow him into the office space.
Jim and a few of the other teen boys have constructed a large closet-type thing, with silver dish pans at the bottom for litter and clear plexiglass fronts, creating three apartments for the cats.
Shua carefully hands the soft carrier to Jim, who puts the animal in its temporary home.
On the other wall, a second slightly larger structure is coming together, this one with five enclosures.
Jim sidles up beside me. “We’ve got five rabbits looking for homes too, so we’ll set them up here. That okay?”
“Totally. What do we need to know to care for them?”
I’m beyond excited for Mateo to return and meet his new housemates. By the time the festival begins, he’ll know for certain he isn’t that interested in me. He’s just killing time, and I won’t be someone’s second choice, waiting at home again.
“They need clean water and food daily; I’ll leave instructions for each species. You can decide how often you want to change the litter. But either way, it’s not going to smell like rainbows and unicorns.”
Aw, he tried to make a joke.
When the group is finished, they’ve housed three kittens. One is a short-haired black cat with piercing yellow eyes. The other two are orange and cream colored with spots and stripes.
“These two look so similar. Are they from the same litter?” Shua asks, wide-eyed.
“They’re sisters,” Jim says. “We can actually remove the wall between them if you’d like. That way they can hang out together. It will be good to give them time to socialize each day.”
“They can socialize?” I ask, imagining the snuggles I’m about to get.
“In this case, yes. The kittens are young and docile. But be vigilant. Without proper supervision, the cats could attack the rabbits like prey. But when raised together, they are capable of being friends. In fact…” Jim leans in, his lips turning up in an oily smile.
“You deal with Dominants and subordinates at work, right?”
“Sure, sometimes.” I steel myself to maintain indifference.
“And how do you identify who is who?”
Jim is really testing my patience here.
“Excuse me?”
“They’re humans. I assume the answer is they’d tell you. Correct?”
Oh, maybe this is less gross than I feared.
“Yes. There are contracts and long conversations and ethics that are determined between the consenting parties.” Where the hell is he going with this?
“Right. In this situation, the cat believes the Dom needs to groom the sub, but from the rabbits’ perspective, the Dom receives the grooming.
So if you have two of them out together, and the cat start to clean the bunny’s fur, just know you’re watching two stupid Doms who think they’re both in charge. ”
Strangely curious now, I tilt my head. “So who is actually dominant?”
Jim only shrugs. “Depends on who you ask.” With that, he strides from the room.
Shua grins at me. “You’re up to something, aren’t you?”
I give him a sly smile and put an arm around him, steering him toward the doorway. “No. No. No. I’m just doing my part for the fine people of Peacock Springs. Let’s get you home, baby brother.”
I’m waiting on the blue plaid couch, fighting a shit-eating grin and watching the clock. It’s almost seven p.m. Where is this man?
I need to fill this time, and as I sit here, I realize that I can continue my subtle sabotage by messing with his streaming algorithm.
I navigate to a rerun of one of my comfort shows, one of the few he didn’t introduce me to.
Only to find that he’s in the middle of my favorite season.
Huh. That makes stirring shit up even more fun for me.
If I’m lucky, he won’t notice right away, and he’ll end up confused about pieces of the plot he’s missed. I press Play and continue to wait.
The sound of the door shutting startles me, and I realize I’ve drifted off. The screen has gone black, with a message that asks if I’d like to continue watching.
At the door, Mateo removes his shoes and coat, then puts them in the closet. As he turns, he runs a hand through his floppy black hair. He looks weary from the day, his eyes droopy and tired. His usually pressed dress shirt is rumpled and the top two buttons are undone.
He’s starting to undo his belt when I let out a wolf whistle.
“Holy shit, Ivy,” he nearly shouts, clasping his chest. The surprise only lasts a heartbeat before he gets back to undressing.
Quickly, he shucks his pants and slips his dress shirt from his shoulders.
Now in a pair of boxers in some sort of neon print reminiscent of the 1990s and a white undershirt, he walks in and rubs the top of my head like I’m the family dog.
The hell?
He shuffles to the bedroom and pulls open a drawer, then another, by the sound of it. When he returns, he’s wearing a pair of low slung gray sweatpants. He drops down next to me, hitting Play on the remote, and stretches his arm around me.
“What are you doing?” I frown in annoyance.
“I came home and found my girl waiting for me on the couch. My show is ready to go… well, your show. I figured I’d check it out. I’m getting comfortable. Tell me about your day.”
His lack of concern is unnerving, to say the least.
But that doesn’t negate my excitement. “I finished the next step in the pet adoption portion of the festival process. Want to see?” It takes everything in me not to bounce on the couch cushion. I’m so excited to show him the new members of his staff in the office.
Instead of agreeing, he wraps his arm tighter and pulls me into his side.
“Nah, not yet. I spent the day talking to the folks at the bank, then a construction crew and current management. I need to zone out.”
As the theme song begins to play, he relaxes into the couch.
“You’ll miss the opening,” I protest, trying to pull away.
“Nah.” He holds me tighter so I can’t escape. “This is when the cats come to visit and she screams about having viable eggs.”
Warmth spreads from his touch. My muscles loosen one by one, beginning with the bicep he’s squeezing, then moving on to my shoulders and chest. The hazy sleep I was taken from creeps back in. There’s no harm in a little cuddling. Right?
I’ve almost surrendered to the thought when the dialogue on becoming a cat lady shakes me from the mist.
“Speaking of cats,” I say. “You know how Harebrained needed help with fostering until the event? I helped Jim and a crew of volunteers get set up today.”
“Cool,” he says, barely moving at all as he speaks.
“They’re here,” I respond, going with the same flat tone he used.
Then I wait. And wait a little more. At least five minutes have passed before it clicks.
“Wait, who’s here?” He straightens, eyes wide, and scans the living room, then turns to look at the kitchen. “Was I pants-less while there are other people in my house? How come they didn’t say hi?” He’s now twisting and jumping like a puppy who can’t find his tail.
“No, no.” I stand and tug on his arm, forcing him off the couch. “Here. Walk with me.” I lead him down the hall to the office and open the door, where the animal condos are softly illuminated. “They need names. Want to do the honors?”
He scrubs a hand down his face and sighs.
Thank god. He’s finally bothered by something. I’ve been wanting to get out of here, but I couldn’t miss this look. Is he angry? Frustrated?
I’m ready to needle him, to push him over the edge, when he drops his hand and hits me with a massive grin.
“Yo, this is adorable. They have their own houses ? I love it. This is exactly what I needed today, and how cute are these guys? They need names, you say?”
My stomach lurches as he bounces around the room, his grin splitting his face.
Shit.
This was an epic fail.