by Natalie Ann
“Any other questions?” Her head went back and forth faster. “Okay, then I’ll drop you off at home and then meet with Margo to do the paperwork.” Davina turned to look out the window, slightly in awe.
“Can I come over and cook in your kitchen once in a while?”
“You can do it more often than that.”
I saw her turn to look at me and kept my eyes on the road in front of me as I drove away.
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying, Davina, that you can move into the house with me if you’d like. That in-law suite would be perfect for you. You’d have your privacy, and you could have full use of the house, plus have the office across the hall for yourself. Then you’d be able to see Devon whenever you wanted.”
“You’re asking me to move in with you? Are you freaking crazy, Trevor?”
I stopped at a stop sign and turned slowly toward her. “Do I look crazy?” She just stared at me, her whiskey eyes wide. “I wasn’t going to mention it yet, but you brought it up.”
“I asked if I could use your kitchen a couple of times, not move in with you.”
“We’d be roommates, Davina. You know, friends that share a space. You are right, it’s a large house, and I don’t need all that space, but if you moved in with us, it would work great.”
“I figured that is where you’d put your nanny,” she said softly.
“If you moved in with us, I wouldn’t need one.”
“Devon, I work.”
“Yes, I know that. We could get a day sitter, or maybe a part-time nanny, but if you were living there, it would be great for all of us.”
“How is it great for all of us?”
“Well, Devon would have us both, and you could save money and enjoy that kitchen.”
A strangled laugh left her lips. “You have lost your mind. You think I would move in with you, take care of your son, and not pay you anything for room and board?”
“Davina, I already told you that I don’t need your money, and I’m not asking you to take care of Devon by yourself. I’m just asking for your help. I trust you, and I’m not sure how comfortable I would be with a stranger staying in my house alone with him for a couple of weeks or a month while I traveled.”
“Trevor, you don’t even know me.”
“I know enough.”
“How? How do you know enough?” she snapped.
“Instinct, Davina.”
“You and your damn instinct. Jesus, Trevor. Has your instinct ever been wrong before?”
“Nope.”
“Well, there is a first time for everything.”
“Are you telling me that you’re not a good person? Is there something that I don’t know about you, Davina?”
“No, that’s not what I’m saying. What I’m saying is that you can’t rely on your instincts all the time. That doesn’t make sense.”
“Do you know how many times I almost died because I didn’t follow my instincts? A lot. Do you know what saved my ass?” I turned to her. “Going back to listening to my instincts. Haven’t you ever thought about doing something, and some inner voice or feeling made you stop, and you later learned that you were glad that you did because something bad happened?”
She frowned as she glanced out the windshield.
“That’s what I’m talking about. I have learned to listen to that internal whisper. That moment when something doesn’t seem right, when the hair on the back of my neck twitches.”
“But we aren’t talking about a life or death situation, Trevor. We are talking about a house and me moving in with you.”
I sighed. “I’m sorry I said anything. Forget I mentioned it.”
“Just like that? You want me to forget you asked me to move in with you just like that?”
“Again, I asked you to be my roommate, not move in with me. But hey, if you want to consider doing that, I’d love nothing more than to have you in my bed or in that shower.”
“Oh, my god,” she muttered, and I could imagine her rolling her eyes.
I let it go. I had a feeling that if I pushed it, she would get more flustered than she already was, and I didn’t want to piss her off. A few minutes later, I parked in the lot of her apartment.
“I appreciate you going with me today.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Are you still up for being my plus one on Saturday?”
She turned to me, and her brow creased. “Did you not want me to go? If you don’t, just tell me, Trevor.”
I heaved a sigh and then turned off the truck and climbed out. When I got to the other side, Davina was scrambling out of the truck, and a gust of wind pulled her wild hair from its messy bun, flailing around her like a mini medusa.
I went right up to her and took her by the face. “Yes, Davina, I do want you to go with me.”
“You do?”
My gaze dropped to her mouth and bounced back up. “Yes, I do,” I said softer. “I really do want you to come as my date.”
“I thought I was just your plus one?”
I leaned down and touched my mouth to hers, taking a moment to swipe my tongue over her lips before she immediately opened to me. The kiss was sweet and lasted only a few seconds. When I pulled back, I stared down at her. “You will always be more to me than a plus one, Davina.”
Her whiskey eyes popped wide. “Oh!”
“You’ll attend with me?”
“Yes.”
“Alright, I’ll see you on Saturday, then. I’ll pick you up around one or so; will that be alright?”
She nodded, still looking a little surprised at what I’d said.
“Goodbye, Davina.”
“Bye,” she whispered and began to walk backward, which was a bad idea because the curb was right behind her. I snagged her arm before she could trip over it.
“Curb.”
She looked down, her cheeks growing pinkish. “Whoops, yeah, sorry.”
She quickly turned away and hustled to the building, pausing at the door to glance back at me. I waved, and she waved back before disappearing inside.
I released the air I’d been holding for a few seconds and climbed back into my truck. It had been too soon to ask her to move in with me. Yeah, the suggestion to be a roommate was a good one, and I’d hoped that maybe if she did, she’d eventually become more, but obviously it had freaked her out. Looked like I was back to interviewing nannies come Monday.
Chapter 18 – Davina
How could the man just buy the first house he saw? More importantly, how could he possibly think I would want to move in with him?
Wait—he said be his roommate, not move in with him. But wouldn’t it be the same? I mean, yeah, I would have my own bedroom and small living space, but we’d still be under the same roof. That’s living together, right? Or was it?
I’d never lived with a man before. In fact, Carol was the only other person I’d ever lived with besides my parents and one college roommate for a single semester. Carol and I had been roommates, and it had worked out great, but we were best friends. What if I did move in there, and then Trevor brought home one of his women? Or better yet, I brought home a man.
I frowned as I stared at the ceiling of my bedroom, trying to quiet my mind to sleep. I couldn’t imagine bringing home a man when I lived with a different one, even if we did have separate bedrooms. What the hell was I even thinking? When was the last time I had ever brought a man home? God, it had to be years now.
I rolled to my side, adjusting my pillow, and sighed. The man confused me, from his one moment saying he wanted me to be his roommate, to the next kissing me and telling me I was more than just a plus one to him. What did that even mean? Was it because of Devon? Was he saying that I was a little more important to him because of my connection to Carol and Devon?
I was frustrated as I closed my eyes and tried to fall asleep.
***
I woke up the next morning grumpy as all get out. It had taken hours to fall asleep, and the
n I’d had several dreams that had woken me. One was of my cooking in that kitchen, Devon as a toddler racing around the island with a toy in his hand, giggling and grinning up at me as he played. The other was of being in that master bedroom shower, only in that one, I hadn’t been alone.
I’d been standing under the spray of the water, and warm hands were caressing my body. Soap bubbles covered my skin, and a warm mouth spread kisses over my neck and shoulder as two fingers pinched one of my nipples. I’d gasped and sat straight up in bed. I hadn’t seen the face of the man, but I had little doubt who it had been. I’d tried to go back to sleep after that, but my body was begging for a sexual release.
Maybe I needed to hit a bar, find a guy, and just let myself go for a night. I winced as I poured water into the coffee pot. I’d never been into one-night stands, so that wasn’t going to happen. Something needed to happen soon, though, or I was going to lose my mind.
I grabbed my laptop and cellphone and sat down on the couch to wait for the coffee to be ready. As my laptop woke up, I checked my phone. For the first time in a week, I didn’t have any messages from Trevor. Was he alright? Was Devon okay? Did he not want me to go with him now?
Ugh! I tossed my phone to the cushion beside me. Trevor wasn’t my problem, and even though I cared about Devon, he wasn’t my problem either. I shouldn’t care so much about either of them. The problem was, I did care. I adored Devon and could not imagine him not being in my life—and Trevor. Well, shit.
When it came to Trevor, I wasn’t sure how I felt. Yes, I desired him, but so had many other women. Yes, I enjoyed our conversations, and I even liked just being in the same room as him. Was I just a wee bit interested in his proposal to live under the same roof with him? Um, yeah, but just because I was interested didn’t mean I was going to do it. I had a feeling that if I did live with him, I’d find myself falling in love with him, and then my heart would get broken.
Was there a way for Trevor and me to remain in the friend-zone? I wasn’t sure about that. It was obvious that something bubbled under the surface between us. Maybe it was just physical attraction, or maybe it was something more. I wasn’t sure I could trust myself to determine which of those it was.
I shoved thoughts of Trevor out of my head and found an email from a co-worker saying they needed some help on a string of code. For three hours, I ended up working on that and going back and forth with them to test it.
After that, I ate, showered, and then gave myself a pep talk about going into Carol’s bedroom. I had to get this done, and it was now or never. Trevor had helped me break the invisible seal to the bedroom, and it hadn’t been as bad as I thought to be in there. Oh, it had been hard, but I knew I was just a chicken.
He was right; Carol would live forever in my heart and mind, and her stuff was just that, stuff. There were no ghosts in that room to be afraid of. I’d been in that room hundreds of times. I’d even slept in her bed, showered in her bathroom, and raided her closet a time or two.
I pursed my lips. Speaking of closets, what the heck was I going to wear to the wedding tomorrow? I went to mine and glanced through my dresses. They were all boring, or none were appropriate for this time of year. What were the colors of the wedding? Were the men wearing tuxes? What did the bow ties look like?
I chewed on my bottom lip as I stared at my phone, quickly typing a message to Trevor before I changed my mind.
Are you wearing a tux at the wedding or a suit? What color is the tie? I need to know so I don’t clash with you if I’m going to be your plus one.
I waited a few moments for a reply but didn’t get one. I knew he was teaching a class today, so I was pretty sure Trevor was tied up with that and not ignoring me. He didn’t seem the type to do that. I stuck my phone in my pocket and headed up to Carol’s apartment.
When I got there, I turned on my music app so upbeat music played through the speaker on my phone, and I stood at her bedroom door for a long moment. I could do this. I had to do this. No more being afraid of it, just step in and get to work.
I took a tentative step forward, then another. I was over the threshold, and I scanned the room. This was the one room in the house that wasn’t neat. She kept her living room and kitchen spotless, but her bedroom was a different story. Here it looked lived in.
The bed wasn’t even made; the covers were thrown back as if she were going to crawl back under them at any moment. I was tempted to do that, curl up in her bed and see if I could feel her. Stupid. I shook my head and turned to her dresser, my gaze drifting to her jewelry box and a necklace that spilled out from under the lid. I chuckled as I reached for it. I knew what necklace it was. I’d given it to her for her thirtieth birthday. It was a lightning bolt covered in sapphires, her birthstone.
She’d always had a thing for lightning bolts. I fingered the charm and then glanced at the picture over her bed. She had loved thunderstorms, always throwing open the curtains and watching the electricity come down from the sky. I asked her once why it fascinated her so much, and the conversation drifted back to me.
“It’s amazing. Every time a bolt comes down, it looks different. It’s unique and powerful.” She had eyed me carefully. “You know, one day you’ll get hit by a bolt, and it will change your life.”
“Let’s hope I don’t. If I get struck by lightning, my life will be over.” I’d laughed.
She had grabbed my forearm. “No, I wasn’t talking literally. I meant someday you would get struck by that lightning bolt that will change your life. It might be for work, or it could be a man. You never know. But everyone gets hit at least once in their life.”
She had grown quiet, and I’d asked her, “Have you?”
She smiled sadly, her hand going to her stomach. “Yes, I did.”
I had frowned, wondering what monumental event in her life she could be talking about. “Yeah, and what struck you?”
She peered at me and smiled sweetly. “Not what, who.”
“What are you talking about, Carol?”
She grabbed my hand, looking excited. “Vina, I’m pregnant.”
My cellphone notification broke me out of my memory. Carol had been struck, and that strike had killed her. I took out my phone and looked at the message I’d gotten.
Tux. Silver or gray or some shit like that.
That was all he said, and something told me he was upset by something. Was it because he’d only answered my question and not said anything else?
Okay, thanks. You okay?
A moment later, I got a reply. Shitty day. Talk later.
I nodded at my phone and set it down. Was that what Trevor had been talking about regarding instinct? I’d known immediately that something was wrong, even though his original text hadn’t made mention of it.
I put it out of my mind and went to Carol’s small walk-in closet, digging through her dresses in the back. While Carol had been taller than me, we wore the same size sometimes. Of course, my hips were a little more pronounced, and my bust was much larger than hers had been, but when it came to dresses, we could usually wear the same size.
I pulled out a burgundy one, no—too dark for spring. A peach one, too frilly. The third one I pulled down was a pale gray that shimmered slightly. I turned around and pulled her door closed so that I had the full-length mirror in front of me and held up the dress. This could work. It wasn’t a heavy dress, but light and gauzy like a spring breeze.
Would Trevor like it? I guess it didn’t matter what he thought. This was the one I was going to wear. I took it out to the living room and hung it by the front door before I went back into her room and got to work.
During the next few hours, I laughed a little and cried a lot. I managed to get through a lot of her room, filling bags with clothing that I could give to charity and collecting a few of my favorite pieces for myself. Her jewelry was harder to go through, and I decided to keep most of it. I could go through that again at a later time, maybe put a few pieces on consignment, or save them for Devon to have
in the future.
I still needed to finish her closet, her bookshelves, and her bathroom, but I could do that on Sunday. I stood at her door, staring back at her bed. I hadn’t removed the bedding yet. I’d do that on Sunday, too, and wash it all before packing it up.
My cellphone rang, and I answered it to find my boss begging me to come into the office for a little while to help with a client. He’d been kind enough to give me time off, so I guess I owed him. I told him I’d be there soon and hung up, looking around Carol’s apartment.
Other than curtains and a few other odds and ends, it was almost done, and my heart tightened in my chest as I let myself out. I hated that it was almost done. It meant that Carol really was gone, and I reminded myself of what Trevor had said: She will always be with me in my heart and mind.
Carrying the dress and matching cape back to my place, I repeated that statement over and over again in my head. In my palm was the lightning bolt necklace that I’d given Carol. I planned to wear it with the dress. It seemed only fitting to wear it when I was with Trevor, seeing as he was the bolt that had struck her down.
Suddenly, the memory came back to me, and I paused on the steps. The day I went to tell Trevor about Devon, it had been storming like crazy. The lightning had been almost continuous as I’d headed toward his office. After I’d left, the storm seemed to break up almost immediately. Was that some crazy sign? Had Carol sent me my lightning bolt, directing me toward Trevor? A shiver raced through my body.
Chapter 19 – Trevor
Devon hadn’t slept well the night before, waking up every two hours. Between thoughts of Davina and dealing with Devon, I was exhausted when I finally got to the training center and downed my third cup of coffee of the day. It wasn’t even eight yet, and I was already dragging.
Harvey slapped me on the back as I filled my cup yet again. “You look like a beaten man.”
I tried to form a smile, but I think it was more of a grimace. “Rough night.”
“Your boy not sleeping well?”
