There was traffic. And I’d forgotten to top up my emergency stash of candy in my car, so I needed to stop at the store.
The loose flannel he wears over the top of his plain white T-shirt is slightly crinkled, and his jawline looks like it hasn’t seen a razor in a few days, which only adds to the rugged look he’s currently sporting. He’s incredibly hard to look away from, especially since he rolls the sleeves of hisshirt up as I park, eyes lifting every few seconds to peek at me.
“You do know your car is missing a door handle, right?”
The scratched hood gains two hard slaps from me. “She may not be a looker, but she gets me places, and that’s all that matters.”
He hums. “Brought enough stuff?” Evan questions as I pop open my trunk, lifting my bags out.
“Just the necessities.”
I’m surprised when he takes the luggage from my grip with calloused hands and slings it over his shoulder as if it weighs nothing. His muscles ripple, reminding me that this man smashes other men’s faces into the dirt for a living and could probably snap me like a toothpick with his middle toe.
“It’s only until the weekend is up, so if this doesn’t work out—”
“Then I’m not hired.” I wave his comment away. “I know, I know. It’s been explained to me. You should try being a little more optimistic.”
He doesn’t respond, but beckons me toward the large cabin to the left of the main house.
It once looked like it was standing on its last leg with its roof bowed, paint chipped, and overgrown vines snaking across the front door like some kind of evergreen guard, but it looks completely different now.
Like it’s brand new.
The white panelling is sparkling, having been either freshly washed or installed. As we approach, a new wooden door stares back at me, standing proud with its shiny steel horseshoe-shaped knocker. There’s no trace of the vines anymore, indicating they’ve been clipped back.
“My sister picked everything out,” Evan says as he unlocks the front door and opens it, gesturing for me to enter before him. “She said blue is in at the moment, especially these shades.”
I expect to be hit with the scent of must and dirt, but I get a pleasant surprise instead. Coconut fills the air as the blue diffuser, placed on the cabinet by the front door, works overtime. The furniture looks nicer than anything I’ve owned—my apartment came furnished, so it wasn’t mine—and the couch looks cosy enough to sleep on.
Classy and calming shades of blue are splashed throughout the place—cushions, throws and paintings—giving it a comforting and fresh feel.
Ocean. Royal. Baby. All tied together perfectly.
It must have cost Evan a lot of money to complete this renovation in just a few days, but then again, I’m sure doing so didn’t even make a dent in his bank account. The man probably has money pouring out of his ears.
“It's amazing.” My fingers wrap around the bannister of the bed, the cool metal biting into my flesh. “Is your sister some kind of interior designer or something?”
“Not by trade. She buys and sells properties, particularly old businesses, and does them up to resell as apartments,usually.” Evan shrugs, and I notice how his harsh eyes soften at the mention of his sister, before he blinks. He shuffles his feet awkwardly, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, and drops my bags.
“Anyway, there's some food in the fridge over there. Tea and coffee are on the side, and laundry detergent, softener and toiletries are stocked for you, too.” He looks down at my bags. “Not that I think you’ll need to do any laundry here. You’ve brought enough clothes for an entire month.”
“Leo clearly likes to keep busy. I figured I’d need to bring a good few changes of outfits for all the activities we’re going to get up to. I was thinking of taking him ziplining first thing tomorrow. I assume you’re all good with that?”
Evan opens his mouth to speak with matching wide eyes, but the ring of my laughter stops him.
“I’m kidding. It’s a joke,” I say on a chuckle. “Just the basics this weekend, like you specified in theverylong email your coach forwarded. You need me to cook for Leo, bathe him, put him to bed, teach him clarinet, whatever it is, I’m sure I can handle it.”
Evan freezes, a deeper crease forming between his eyebrows. “Clarinet? Why the fuck would you teach him how to play the clarinet?”
“I don’t know. You said you wanted him to learn some new skills. He’d make a great little Squidward.” I settle down on the couch, making myself at home.
“What the fuck is a ‘Squidward’?”
“You have a kid and you don’t know what—” My face contorts, and I cover my mouth with my palm to stop myself from laughing at Evan. “Never mind. Explaining it probably won’t help my case. So, how are things working around here? Do we draw a line down the middle of the land to segregate things and keep us from bumping into each other? Try to stay out of each other’s way? I don’t want to make you moodier than you already are.”
He narrows his eyes at me, head tilting to the side. “You’re on my property, remember?”
“Got it, Captain Control Freak.”
