by Sarah Peis
Guess he’s going to stay outside with me.
I sighed and closed my eyes again. When I made it to four hundred, I felt better, and by five hundred I had myself back under control.
I straightened and took a deep breath. “I’m ready.”
“You’re also late.”
I checked my phone and saw my shift started one minute ago. Jiminy Crickets.
I hastened my steps and rushed through to the dressing room, dumping my purse and coat on my chair. The girls called out greetings when I came inside. I pulled on my uniform, tying my hair into a high ponytail. I’d just have to go without makeup today.
Sebastian had disappeared somewhere on the way inside. When I came out of the dressing room, I rushed to the bar, smiling at Stephen, who was mixing drinks.
“Sorry I’m late,” I said, taking one of the tablets out of its holder to take orders.
Stephen waved me off with his trademark grin. “It’s two minutes. Besides, nobody noticed you weren’t here yet.”
“Thank you,” I said and smiled at him.
“You won’t be so grateful when you find out you’re in the VIP section tonight. Sorry, honey.”
I groaned. I hated working in the VIP room. Hands liked to roam when in enclosed spaces, and the tips did not make up for being groped every two steps.
The night was as depressing as I’d feared. When I finally got a chance to take a break, I stumbled into the small staff kitchen, desperate to eat something.
I had taken one bite of my sandwich when the door opened and Clive, one of the bouncers, came in. He was the last person I wanted to run into during my short break.
“Beautiful, there you are. I haven’t seen you in a week. Are you avoiding me?” he asked, stopping too close to me. When I felt his breath on my face, it took everything in me not to scrunch up my nose and step back.
I’d learned early on that it didn’t end well if I pissed him off. So far I’d managed to evade him, but he was relentless. We’d gone out once when I first started. I thought he was a good guy. But what was meant to be a chance for me to spread my wings and dip my toes into the dating pool again had ended in disaster.
And now I had to work with him, since I needed my job.
“Of course not. I’ve just been busy. You know how it is,” I said, putting my sandwich down. I’d lost my appetite, my thoughts on getting out of the deserted kitchen.
“Are you free this weekend? There’s a great Italian place that just opened in Butler.”
I forced a smile on my face and stepped to the side, closer to the door. “I have the kids.”
He was a big guy but bulky. I could probably outrun him. If he didn’t catch me before I could get far enough away.
“Can’t your friend babysit?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Not this weekend. I’m sorry.”
Not waiting for him to reply, I rushed to the door and threw it open. I stepped outside and collided with a warm body. The relief at someone else being there was short-lived when I lifted my head to apologize and locked eyes with Sebastian.
I opened my mouth but decided it was better to just make a quick escape instead of saying anything and rushed back to the safety of the bar.
When it was finally time to go home, I nearly ran out of the building. Sebastian followed at a slower pace, but since his legs were a lot longer than mine, he made it outside at the same time I did.
I couldn’t even enjoy the ride home; my skin was crawling, and the need to take a shower made me restless.
When we walked back inside, Stella was watching a reality show, her favorite pastime.
“A delivery came for you while you were out. I put it in the kitchen,” she said, then took a closer look at me before waving me off. “Go do your thing. We’ll talk when you feel human again.”
“Thanks, Stella,” I called out, already heading to the bathroom, dropping my purse along the way.
CHAPTER FOUR
I stared at the flowers and tried to get rid of the lump in my throat. I knew who they were from. He always sent me red roses. Exactly eleven of them. He was obsessed with numbers and their meaning, and I knew eleven signified change and destiny since I’d looked it up. At least it didn’t signify murder and mayhem.
I pulled the cardigan I’d put on after my shower tighter around me.
“Who sent you the flowers?” Stella came into the kitchen where I was staring at said flowers on my counter. “You didn’t tell me you were seeing anyone. Is it—”
She stopped in her tracks when she saw the look on my face. “Oh shit, what’s going on?”
I looked up and knew it was time to fess up. Stella could smell a lie a mile away. And I just didn’t have it in me to make something up. Not tonight.
“They’re from Clive.”
“What the fuck?” Stella hissed and stalked past me. She took the flowers, stomped to the front door, opened it, and threw them outside, vase and all. They landed with a loud crash, the vase shattering into a thousand pieces on my walkway. I had to make sure to clean the front yard before the kids went out there.
“What’s going on?” Sebastian asked, joining us in the kitchen. His hair was wet, and he was only wearing jeans, water droplets glistening on his chest. We must have interrupted his shower, because he was still holding a towel in his hand.
All I could see were abs. And abs. And did I mention abs? He was a sculpted work of art.
Stella snapped her fingers in front of my face, and my eyes refocused on my friend.
“Okay, now that we have you back, it’s time you tell me what’s going on,” she demanded, closing the door.
Sebastian leaned against the wall, settling in for the show-and-tell. I would have rather done this without him. I didn’t want him to know how pathetic I was.
Stella snapped her fingers again when my gaze dipped down to the perfect V leading to Sebastian’s jeans.
“Please tell me you’re not still talking to that psycho,” she said.
I recoiled at the thought and glared at her. “Of course not. The flowers started showing up the day after our date. How stupid do you think I am?”
“I don’t know. Pretty stupid since you failed to mention any of this shit to me.”
“What shit?” Sebastian chimed in.
Stella glanced at him, and I knew by her drawn eyebrows that she meant business. “Nora had one date with this guy, and he became obsessed with her. And I’m not talking the sweet, caring, ‘I would do anything for you’ obsessed. I’m talking the creepy, stalkerish, ‘I want to impregnate you with my babies right before I lock you away in my dungeon’ obsessed.”
Did she have to put it that way? She made things sound a lot worse than they were. Clive just had a little impulse control issue. And he also thought I was his soul mate. A feeling I didn’t return.
“Name?” Sebastian barked, dropping his towel on the floor and grabbing a T-shirt from his bag that was still sitting in the hallway. My inner hussy sighed when he was once again covered in clothes.
“Clive Miller. He works with Nora,” my traitorous friend replied.
Sebastian stilled, locking eyes with me. “Clive? And you didn’t think to mention this?”
Hang on, what’s going on here? I felt like I’d missed an important part of this conversation.
“Why would I have mentioned it to you?” I asked, frowning.
He narrowed his eyes, something I was getting used to. “I’ll be back.”
Sebastian gave us a chin lift and turned to the door. “Gears is just across the street. Stay inside.”
With that barked instruction, he grabbed his keys off the table and left.
God, he was confusing.
I turned to Stella and sniffed. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”
She sighed as she walked over to the couch and sat down. “Who’s Gears?”
“A guy who’s currently across the street, watching the house,” I said and followed, perching on the edge of the couch ne
xt to Stella.
“I’ll let that one go for now. What I really want to know is what tall, dark, and hot is doing in your house.”
Stella pointedly looked at Sebastian’s open duffel bag.
“It’s only temporary,” I said.
I mean, what else could I really tell her? That Sebastian was here to make sure I didn’t disappear? That he was waiting for my loser ex to show up again?
“Mm-hmm,” she murmured, her tone telling me she wasn’t buying my story.
We stayed on the couch, Stella relentless in her pursuit to get me to tell her about Sebastian. When I wouldn’t budge, she turned the TV on, keeping me company. When she finally left three hours later, I stayed on the couch, too scared to go to bed yet by myself. It was pathetic to admit, but I’d let Jim screw me around for so long because I was petrified of being alone. And now I was paying the price for being so weak.
A door closing pulled me out of a dream that involved talking frogs, a gold stamp, and a pink llama. It was a great dream, and I didn’t want to wake up. Next thing I knew, someone lifted me off the couch.
I opened my eyes when I was gently laid down on a bed. Sebastian pulled a blanket over my body and looked up when I turned over to watch him.
“Where did you go?” I asked, my voice sleepy.
“Just had something to take care of,” he said, brushing a strand of hair out of my face, then left.
I fell back asleep a few minutes later, dreaming of talking knives and purring dolphins.
***
“Did you just put chocolate in the cutlery drawer?” Malena asked, startling me.
I slammed the drawer in question shut and whipped around to face her. “Don’t sneak up on me like that or your key privileges will be revoked.”
She handed me a coffee she’d picked up on the way over. “Are you hiding chocolate from your kids again?”
I cradled my coffee; I was grateful she’d stopped at Sweet Dreams on her way over. “Maybe. Desperate times and all that. They’re not supposed to eat that much chocolate anyway. I’m keeping them sugar free by sacrificing myself and eating it.”
“Of course you are.”
“Hey, no judging.”
“I wouldn’t dare.” She snickered and looked around. “Where’s your new roomie?”
I’d told her about Sebastian when she called last night to tell me she’d drop in this morning. I’d put off telling her as long as I could but had to fess up. To say she was intrigued would be an understatement.
“On the phone.”
He was on the phone a lot. The thing rang constantly.
“How are things going?” she asked.
“Splendid.”
“Interesting choice of words.”
“Shut up.”
She raised her perfect brows. “Is that all you got?”
I stuck my tongue out at her, and she chuckled.
“Did you message that Peter guy back?”
I groaned from where I was sitting on the counter, one of my favorite places. “Why would I? We both know it would never go anywhere.”
“I think you should give him a chance. He sounded nice.”
“So did Clive.”
We both sipped our coffee in silence, remembering the mess I’d gotten myself into. Clive was the first guy I’d dated after Jim, and he’d turned out to be a deranged stalker. And while Peter looked good on paper, I had no intention of messaging him.
He was one of the single dads at Luca’s preschool and had asked me out a few times. He messaged me again a few days ago, and I was running out of excuses not to catch up with him. I thought he’d give up, but apparently he just thought I was playing hard to get.
“Maybe I’ll go out with him tonight,” I said, surprising not only Malena but myself.
“Really? Don’t tease me like that, because that would just be cruel.”
I laughed and jumped off the counter when Luca and Lena came running back into the kitchen, Luca wearing his sweatshirt inside out.
And that’s how it would remain since I didn’t have the energy to get him to put it the right way around.
“Five minutes, buddy. Then we have to go.”
“I don’t wanna goes,” he complained, not looking up.
“Sorry, Sötnos, but I have to work.”
And watching both of them while trying to work would just about kill me.
Malena left after another whispered conversation about my possible date. Maybe I should just go. He could be a really nice guy.
But to find out if he was, I had to give him a chance.
Mind made up, I grabbed my phone and texted him back.
Me: Hi, Peter, dinner sounds great. What night is best for you?
He responded right away.
Peter: How about tonight?
Me: I’ll see if I can get a babysitter.
Peter: Sounds good.
I was staring at the message when Sebastian came into the hallway. “Ready?”
I startled and dropped my phone. We both bent down to pick it up, and Sebastian saw the message.
“You’re not going out tonight,” he announced, his voice gruffer than usual.
“Why not? It’s not like I’m going to run away while my kids are still at home.”
He pulled up to his full height. “I’m supposed to watch you. If I tell you to stay at home, you stay at home.”
I threw my arms up, ready for battle. Now I would go on this date out of principle. “This is ridiculous. You can’t keep me in the house all the time. I have a life.”
Even if it was a small and pathetic one.
“You aren’t a prisoner in your house. You go outside to drop off Luca. And yesterday you went to the supermarket.”
My eyebrows shot up my forehead. “Are you serious right now? I need to go out and see people. Otherwise, I’ll go crazy.”
“Malena was literally just here. That should tide you over for a few days.”
I stepped closer, my eyes narrowed. “That’s different and you know it.”
“If you go on the date, then I’m going with you.”
Excuse me, what?
I scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Dead serious. That’s the only way you’re going on that date.”
“Fine,” I growled.
“Fine,” he growled back, his arms crossed over his chest, his stupidly perfect face distorted into a scowl.
We dropped Luca off, and then I worked for the rest of the day. Stella agreed to watch the kids, so after I put them to bed and made sure they were asleep, she came over.
I was already dressed in my favorite skintight black jeans, a silky green top with thin straps that dipped low down my back and black heels. I loved heels, needing the extra height. I’d also gone heavier with the makeup than I normally would—as much as my skills allowed, at least.
I didn’t know who I was trying to prove a point to, Sebastian or myself. We hadn’t spoken a word to each other for the rest of the day. First, he was busy on his phone, and then he was gone for a couple hours in the afternoon, so he obviously didn’t need to keep an eye on me all the time, especially not on a date.
Besides, there was a guy watching the house all the time. I didn’t see the need for Sebastian to be there as well.
“Stella,” I greeted her when she showed up at eight. “Thank you so much for watching the kids for a few hours.”
She waved me off. “You know I don’t mind. Mason is busy patching up holes in the wall that I accidentally put there when I tried to help him. Better if I’m not there while he fixes them.”
“I won’t be late,” I said and grabbed my bag.
“You finally have a date. Be as late as you want. Just let me know if you want me to stay over,” she said, grinning at me like a madwoman. At least one of us was excited about tonight.
I was weighing up the consequences of leaving Sebastian behind when he came around the corner, looking like all my fantasies rolled into one.
Dark shirt, worn jeans, and a scowl on his face. I could do without the obvious displeasure, but he did this to himself. I didn’t even feel a little bad about it.
The thought of being stuck in a car with Sebastian and Peter was giving me hives, so I’d arranged for us to meet at the restaurant.
“Let’s go,” Sebastian ordered, nodding at Stella on his way past.
Her eyes went wide, and she fanned herself after he’d passed her. I shrugged and she waggled her eyebrows at me before disappearing into the living room.
I followed Sebastian outside, and we walked to his motorcycle. Of course he wouldn’t take my car. But since I loved riding on his bike—or, more specifically, being pressed against him—I didn’t complain. Besides, I was wearing pants, so it didn’t matter anyway.
The second time on his bike was just as good as I remembered, and I wished the restaurant was farther away.
When we got close, I saw Peter already standing outside. Sebastian parked just around the corner, helping me off the bike and taking my helmet off for me. I’d figured out how to undo the buckle, but I still didn’t stop him when he did it for me.
He walked next to me to the restaurant, and it looked like we were the ones going on a date. I entertained the idea for two-point-five seconds before dismissing it as ridiculous. He’d made it clear that he had absolutely no interest in me.
“Hey,” I greeted my actual date, and he leaned in. I leaned back and stuck out my hand, my back hitting Sebastian, who didn’t move out of the way.
Peter stared at my hand for a second, then shook it. We’d never hugged before, and I just didn’t want to give him the wrong impression. The only purpose of this date was to get him to lose interest in me and to get Malena off my back. And maybe to piss Sebastian off, since I guessed he felt as uncomfortable about this date as he looked.
Peter glanced behind me, and I stepped to the side. “Peter, this is Sebastian. He’s my, um, chaperone for tonight.”
Peter looked taken aback, and who could blame him? This was ridiculous.
“I’m sorry, did you just say he’s your chaperone?”
“Just ignore he’s even there,” I said and led the way into the restaurant. The sooner we had dinner, the sooner I could go home.
