Chapter 11 – Nalia
Eleven
NALIA
Staring at Cole on the screen of my phone after spilling my guts, I try to interpret his expression, but he’s always been impossible to read, so I have no idea what he’s thinking.
“Honey, we aren’t together, it’s okay,” he says softly, after dragging out the moment and I blink.
I’m sure that’s supposed to make me feel better, but it doesn’t because now I just feel like an idiot.
I spent weeks and weeks assuming that we were still in a relationship because I was too ignorant to understand that the night I told him that I was moving, he broke up with me without actually breaking up with me.
“I know,” I lie as I swallow down my annoyance.
Getting angry with him isn’t going to do any good, and honestly, it’s not all his fault.
I should have ended things with him before I left Colorado.
I knew that things wouldn’t work with us being so far away.
If I’m honest, they weren’t working when we lived in the same building.
But again, he’s the first guy that I’ve been with who wasn’t a jerk.
Knowing how rare that is nowadays, I was hanging on, hoping that what we had might turn into something more.
“So, who’s the guy?” he asks, distracted by whatever it is he’s looking at off-screen, probably his computer.
“No one.” The timer I set for the cookies I put in the oven right before he called starts to chime, and I take my phone with me as I leave my office and walk down the hall to the kitchen.
“No one?” He looks at me. “He must be someone if you’re calling to tell me you kissed him.”
Okay, I’m not having this conversation with him. “I’m sorry, I…”
“You know you can talk to me.” He cuts me off. “Things didn’t work out with us, but I still consider you a friend, and I care about you and Zuri.”
Friends. Can I even be friends with him?
Probably, it’s not like we didn’t start out as friends, and we’ve basically been nothing more than friends for months.
Even when we were together, I felt like he was more of a friend to me than my boyfriend most of the time.
Sure, we kissed when we were in bed and had sex from time to time, also always in bed, but there was never any real passion there.
I guess the real question is, do I want to be friends with him? Maybe? I don’t know.
“Shit,” he mumbles, dragging me from my thoughts. “I have to go, I have an important call coming in, but call me later.”
“Ugh, sure,” I get up right before he hangs up then stare at my phone as drop it to the counter.
Shaking off how weird that was, I grab the spatula from the drawer and carefully remove the cookies I pulled from the oven off the pan and place them on a baking rack to cool.
When I’m done, I add more cookies to the cookie sheet and put them in the oven, setting another timer, then rinse the bowl and put it in the dishwasher.
By the time I’m done cleaning up my mess, the last batch of cookies is done, so I take them out and leave them to cool, and head to my room to change.
I have a dozen errands to run today. I have to go to the bank, the courthouse, and the clerk’s office to file some paperwork for Talon and Bax, and I need to go to the grocery store and stop by Rafe Motors to pay for the work Logan did on my Bronco.
Something I didn’t remember until this morning, when I got into my car to take Zuri to school.
After I’m dressed in my favorite pair of jean shorts and an oversized graphic tee that I cut up to give it a little personality, I tie my hair up, add some mascara to my eyes, some blush, and a little lip gloss, then walk back to the kitchen.
With the cookies now cool, I place half of them into a plastic container and eat one while I’m on my way out of the house.
My time at the courthouse and the clerk’s office takes longer than I expect, but thankfully, I’m able to get done with everything and over to the bank before noon, so I miss the rush of people who want to do business at lunch.
But unfortunately, with all my other errands wrapped up, I can no longer put off my second-to-last stop.
So, with the tub of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies still sitting on the passenger seat next to me, I head towards Rafe Motors.
When I arrive, I park at the bottom of the driveway to avoid blocking anyone who may be stopping by, and get out with my purse and cookies in tow.
As I approach the open bay doors of the shop, I spot Logan leaning over the hood of a baby blue Toyota that seems to sparkle under the sun shining into the building.
Either hearing me or sensing me, he turns his head in my direction, and his gaze slowly wanders over my face before he smiles.
“Hey.” I lift my free hand.
“This is a nice surprise,” He comes out of his fold and grabs a red rag lying over the edge of the hood, wiping his hands as he walks towards me.
“I wanted to stop by and pay my bill and bring you these.” I hold out the tub towards him when he stops in front of me.
“Cookies?”
“Yes, but don’t get too excited, they’re just chocolate chip.”
“My favorite.” He opens the lid and pulls out the cookie on top, then, without hesitating, he takes a bite with his eyes locked on mine.
My stomach twists into a tight knot, and a few inconvenient parts of me tingle in response as I watch his mouth, the muscles in his jaw as he chews, and the way his Adam’s apple bobs when he swallows.
My body has a mind of its own when it comes to him and would not be opposed to kissing him again or doing more than that, given the chance, which is worrisome since my brain is not on the same page.
At least that’s the lie I’m telling myself.
“Good.” He takes another bite, and I fight the urge to frown at the lackluster compliment.
I’m not saying that I’m the best baker in the world, but my family and friends are always requesting my cookies or treats during the holidays or when they have a party.
“Just good?” I regret asking the moment the question leaves my mouth, and he grins.
“Very good.” His grin deepens before he shoves what’s left of the cookie in his mouth. “As for the payment, I haven’t put together your bill yet.”
My scalp tingles for another reason altogether. “I’m not leaving here today without paying for the repairs you did.”
“That’s cool, you can keep me company, I was just about to go get lunch, so when we get back, I’ll write it up.”
“Lo.”
“Have you had lunch?” He cuts me off. “There’s a Greek spot around the corner.” My stupid, treacherous stomach growls like he asked it that question directly, and of course, he hears it.
“I can’t get lunch. I have to go to the store and then get back to work.”
“Do you have a meeting scheduled?”
“No?”
“An important phone call you need to make?” he asks, and I glare at him. “Right. Come on, let’s go eat.”
“Seriously, Logan.” I catch up to him as he turns and walks into the building. “I really need to get this done so I can get home.”
“I know, baby, the restaurant is just around the corner. After we eat, we’ll get it taken care of.”
“What’s up?” Hector asks, stepping out of the office with a can of Coke in his hand.
“Heading to lunch,” Logan tells him as he walks past into the office
“Cool.” Hector’s honey-colored eyes come to me, and he smiles. “Where are you guys going?”
“I just came to pay my bill; your friend is trying to hold me hostage.”
“I see.” He chuckles, and I let out a silent huff.
“Ready?” Logan asks coming back out of the office, the coveralls he had on over his clothes are gone, and he’s now wearing jeans a red tee with his baseball team’s logo on it and a ball cap that says Rafe Motors in bold lettering.
“Do you know how to generate a bill?” I ask Hector, ignoring Logan.
“Nope.” I don’t know why I even asked.
I learned yesterday evening that Hector is not someone I can count on to have my back.
In fact, there is no one in Logan’s life I can depend on to take my side, including his daughter.
That revelation came as a shock to me when I was arguing with her dad, who was insisting that he drive Zuri and me home last night after I found out that their house was in fact just a couple of blocks over from mine.
Even though it would have been less than a ten-minute walk, Billie told me that her dad should drive because the roads are dark and people drive like maniacs.
I didn’t bother pointing out that the sun hadn’t even fully set.
I could tell that if I had, she would come up with some other reason, and it wouldn’t change the outcome in the end. “You two have fun.”
Glaring at Hector’s back as he walks away, I turn my glare on Logan, who ignores it and wraps his hand around mine. I think about putting up a fight when he starts pulling me with him towards the exit, but in the end, I just let him lead me outside.
There is no reason to cause a scene, and honestly, I’m hungry and know better than to go grocery shopping when I haven’t eaten.
The last time I did, I ended up with questionable grocery store sushi, a pre-made deli salad that was half spoiled, a whole birthday cake, and other random stuff that we didn’t need.
Not that I regret buying the cake, Zuri’s laughter when she saw it was enough to make the purchase worth it, plus birthday cake is delicious.
“Can I have my hand back?” I wiggle my fingers that he still has a hold of when we get outside.
“In a second.” He leads me across the street, then lets my hand go and smoothly slides around me with his hand on my lower back, placing me on the inside of the sidewalk away from the street.
The move is something I’ve seen my father do with my mom countless times, but have never experienced myself, and I have to admit there is something nice about the act of chivalry, even if it’s completely unnecessary on a completely quiet street.
“Did you call fluid guy?”
“Stop calling him that.”