“What’s wrong?” Nate asks as Emma pulls on a tendril of my hair.
I work to remove her tiny little baby fingers that have gotten stuck between the strands and answer, “Nothing.”
“It’s never nothing when a female says nothing.”
Do I lie, or be honest and let him see the crazy that is me inside?
“Is this about the job?” Nate asks, even though by the expression on his face he’s already determined the answer is yes. Smart man.
I sigh, pretending like he’s the crazy one. “Of course not.”
“Josie, unfortunately with what I do, I can’t always tell you what I do every day. It keeps you safe and there are confidentiality issues I have to deal with for certain clients,” he says sitting back on the bed.
All those things are the truth. He’s off doing superspy business or whatever Ridge’s company does, but it’s also a convenient excuse a cheater would use.
“I’m sorry, it’s just with my past and how crazy I am.”
He chuckles, kissing me on the forehead like I’m something precious. “You’re not crazy. Look, I won’t be able to be on my phone much today, but I’ll let you track me.”
My eyes narrow at the suggestion. “Track you?”
Visions of me sitting in my car, hiding below the window, and using the long scope on a camera to take pictures of him flash in my mind. I watched the showVeronica Mars, but it’s not a career field I’m looking to get into.
“It’s easy.” He grabs his cell phone from his back pocket and gathers mine from the night table. He taps on the phones for a few seconds and holds them both on his knee. “I thought I told you to password protect this thing?”
“Emma likes to play the games.” I have colors and letters learning songs on my phone for her. Before I had kids, I always said I wouldn’t be one of those parents who stuck a device in front of my child’s faces, but you know what? They work. You have a kid screaming in a shopping cart because you’re taking too long to pick out what kind of broccoli you want for a side dish next week, and the only way to get them quiet and out of the store without causing a scene is a shove the phone at her, that’s what you do. At least she’s learning her ABCs.
“There, we’re all set,” Nate says, pressing a few more buttons on my phone.
He passes it back and then taps on the new green-colored square with a weird white design in the middle. “You tap on the app and the tracker will show you where I am.”
“For real?” I grab the phone from his hands and the little map loads, showing a red dot and a green dot right next to each other.
“Promise you won’t tell anyone where my dot is?” he asks, tilting his head to the side and giving me a look.
“Yes, I promise.” I cross my finger over my heart.
Who knows why his actions mean so much to me? But they do. I stare at the green dot labeled Nate, reassuring me he’s right next me even though I can see him as he sits on the bed. If I was younger and a little more naïve, I would tell my friends it was absolutely crazy. You don’t attract someone with the issues I have, but I’m older and wiser. My heart has been broken. I’m aware that in life you clutch on to the little things that give you some sense of peace. And call me crazy, but knowing I can see Nate’s green dot whenever I want is already providing me peace. Tabitha’s not so crazy.
Just the fact he’s willing to do it and thought of the idea himself is enough. I can’t imagine Barry ever offering such a concession. Then I would’ve known when he was out to late night dinners with his girlfriend or visiting the small studio apartment he’d rented for her. I’d have found out about all those times he promised me he was working late at the office he was at a strip club downtown.
Nate pats Emma on the head and then slips off the bed. “I’ll be back late. Don’t forget we have dinner at Ridge’s house tonight for a meeting.”
“Dinner meeting? Aren’t those for his employees only?”
Nate grins, his white teeth visible in his exaggerated smile. “After yesterday’s trouble, Ridge has decided meetings include girlfriends and eventual wives from now on when they can.”
“Are we?” I ask, too scared to say the word “dating.”
Nate nods his head, shaking it once. “Of course we are and even if we weren’t, you still have to go because I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
“But we are, right?” It’s fine if I want to triple check. Right? Get it in writing.
“Josie,” he says with a hint of disbelief as he leans down and kisses me on the lips and then tugs gently at Emma’s hair. “I wouldn’t let anyone track my phone unless I planned to be with her for a long time.”
“Oh,” my face heats and breaks out into a smile, way too happy over the fact Nate just made me his girlfriend.
It feels so much like high school, but I don’t care.
