17. Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Seventeen
Nate
Moving Samantha and her sister into my condo was the last thing I’d expected to be doing with my evening, but that was exactly what was happening.
“It’s really temporary,” Samantha whispered as Kelly went to settle herself in my guest bedroom. “She still thinks we’re a real couple, and I didn’t know what to say…”
Her words drifted off as I took her hand in mine and rubbed my thumb along hers.
“I didn’t assume you and your sister were moving in permanently.”
With a groan, she let her head fall against my chest. “This sucks. I’m so sorry.”
“You’ve been here five minutes. There’s nothing to apologize for yet.”
This hadn’t been the plan when I’d received Samantha’s call earlier.
I’d headed to her place as quickly as I could and found Josh exactly where she’d said he would be.
He’d been more amenable when I told him to move off Samantha’s steps, but he hadn’t gone far.
He’d parked himself in his car, with a clear view of Samantha’s house.
The moment I laid eyes on Kelly’s frightened face and Samantha’s concerned one, I knew I couldn’t leave them there. Adrian would have taken them in. A hotel would have worked too. But what kind of boyfriend would I have been if I’d taken either of those options?
Samantha huffed a laugh. “I’m sure I’ll have plenty to apologize for by tomorrow. Kelly doesn’t know how to sit still. If you’re not careful, she’ll handwash your underwear. Don’t ask me how I know this.”
I slid my fingers through the side of her hair and pulled her head away from my chest. “It sounds like you’ve been doing some bonding over the last week.” I grinned.
“A time has been had, that’s for sure.” She returned my smile. “It’s good to see you again, despite the circumstances.”
“You too.”
“You know, I’m going to have to sleep in your bed if we want to keep up this ruse.”
My lower gut stirred, but I kept it contained. “I think I’ll survive. I did the first time.”
“Hmmm…well, now I have an excuse to go into your room and make sure it’s set up for optimal sleeping.”
“I don’t think it’s the room that’s the problem. I think it’s my brain.”
“Let me be the judge of that.” She patted my chest then retreated a step. “Are you sure you’re okay with me going to work and leaving Kelly with you?”
I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend even a minute with Kelly, but I nodded anyway. “We’ll be fine. Don’t worry about us.”
We weren’t fine.
At least I wasn’t.
I’d been trying to get some work done at my kitchen island. Rome and I were working on acquiring a failing healthcare company, and since he had a newborn at home, most of the overtime fell onto me.
After Samantha left, that was where Kelly found me. And if she’d gotten the hint I didn’t want to chat, she didn’t take it. Instead, she got busy making herself—and me—a snack then plopped herself on a stool beside me, craning her neck to read my screen.
“Donner Health?” She grabbed a handful of popcorn out of the big bowl she’d placed between us. “My company has done advertising for them. Not anymore, since they don’t pay their bills in a timely manner, if at all.”
I nodded. “They’re in financial trouble.”
She tapped her chin. “Oh, that’s right. Your company comes in, buys out failing businesses, then sells them for parts.”
I scanned the screen, looking for the numbers I needed before responding. “Not always. If we’re able, we invest and turn them around then sell them for profit. Breaking up failing companies is our last resort.”
“I’m not judging. Money is what makes the world go round.” She munched, quiet for a solid minute. “That’s why Josh is chasing me. He won’t have full access to his trust fund until he’s thirty-five unless he’s married. Poor guy is going to have to wait another seven years.”
“I’m sure he misses you,” I said, hoping it was the right thing.
“He misses everything I did for him.” She tossed her dark hair behind her back. “It took him a week to find me when all he had to do was look through the addresses for our wedding invites. That tells me everything I need to know.”
“It does?”
“Yep. He’s not resourceful and wasn’t desperately scouring the city. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d spent all week in bed with Scarlet.”
The way she winced was the only evidence of how deeply hurt she was—and how out of my depth I was. She was hurting. I could see that. But I didn’t know what to do with it or even if I needed to.
Luckily, Kelly moved on from her problems to mine.
“Have you called your mom back?”
“I texted her.”
I didn’t tell her she’d been part of the push I’d needed to finally reply to Louise. The idea of letting Louise have it had stuck with me. I wasn’t sure I’d follow through, but I’d opened the door to the possibility.
“And?” Kelly pressed.
I rubbed my forehead, exhaling heavily. “She asked to see me. I’m considering it.”
“You probably need to consider quickly, huh?”
“Yes. I probably do.”
I was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, when Samantha got home from work.
I heard her quietly close the door, drop her keys on the entry table, and kick off her heels—the sounds I’d gotten used to when she and Adrian had stayed with me.
The familiarity made something settle in my chest, and my head sank deeper into my pillow.
She tiptoed into the bedroom, making as little noise as possible. I watched her move to her overnight bag, my eyes long since becoming accustomed to the dark, grab her pajamas, and disappear into my en suite.
A few minutes later, she came out, padding toward the bed. I threw back the covers for her, making her gasp.
“You’re awake.”
“Always.”
She slipped into bed beside me, rolling onto her side. “I didn’t cure you?”
“Unfortunately not.”
She lifted my side of the covers, peered under them, and smiled at me. “Plaid pajamas.”
“What can I say? I’m nothing if not predictable.”
Her hand grazed my chest. Before she could pull it away, I pressed it down, my hand resting on top. She scooted an inch or two closer.
“Did Kelly bug you?”
“She didn’t seem to want to be by herself.”
“Oh god, Nate. I’m so sorry.” She let her head fall against my arm. “You probably hate this, don’t you? First Adrian and I invaded your space, and now it’s Kelly and me. You poor man.”
“I don’t hate it. I liked having Ade here.
It’s been a long time since we’d spent that much time together.
And Kelly…I don’t know what to do with her, but she didn’t require me to say much.
Once she’d talked herself out, she sat next to me for a while playing solitaire on her phone while I worked. And she made popcorn…”
Samantha snickered. “One thing the Blackwell girls are always good for is snacks.”
“True. I’ve been thinking about your nachos all week.”
She gasped, her head shooting up. “You should have said. I would have made them for you tonight.”
“Nah. I’m good. But if you’re still here…”
“I’ll make you all the nachos you want. Kelly can make them too. We picked up the skill from our nanny.”
“I’ll wait for you.”
“Okay, Nate.” She yawned and nestled closer. “Think you’re going to sleep tonight?”
“We’ll see.”
Her fingers flexed beneath mine, and her head grew heavier. “Tomorrow, we’re optimizing.”
“Whatever you say.”
I felt her smile against my T-shirt. “I like that.”
I didn’t sleep much, but Samantha, peaceful beside me, made the night pass a lot faster. Even though I was tired and frustrated, I couldn’t help thinking this wasn’t so bad.