Nellie worried her bottom lip, deliberating. She glanced at Sage, and Sage nodded, her eyes wide and eyebrows lifted as if she was trying to convey the message: say yes.
“I could give it a try, I guess.” Nellie replied, finally meeting my eyes.
An electricity seemed to pass between us when our gazes linked. It surged through my veins and charged my heart with its energy.
“When is the expected start date?”
“Well, ideally we need someone to start as soon as possible, since it’s our busiest time of the year. But I know you just got to town and are getting settled, so really, whenever works for you.”
I could feel Damien’s eyes narrowing on me, and knew I’d face some intrusive questions later about how come I was practically hiring her on the spot, and why I was so nonchalant about when I wanted her to start. I’d been griping about having to run the front office for several days now, and he knew that I’d wanted to find someone as soon as possible to take over.
“I could come in on Boxing Day to check it out and drop off a resume. Other than Christmas Day, I don’t have anything going on.”
“No big New Year’s plans?” I asked, prying a little.
“Not really,” Nellie’s expression seemed even more guarded, and she seemed to look back at Sage for a rescue.
“We’ll probably ring in the new year at Tabitha and Parker’s,” Sage volunteered. “What are you up to for New Year’s?”
Nellie shot her a displeased look.
“No plans as of yet,” I said, shoving my hands in my coat pocket to warm them up. “Probably sit around at home.”
“You’re welcome to join us, Noah,” Parker said. “We’ll have all the kids, so it’s going to be a chill, kid-friendly night.”
“Sounds great, I could use a chill night.” While I had none of my own, I didn’t mind hanging out with kids.
Nellie didn’t look ecstatic about the invitation, but before she had a chance to complain, the carriages returned. I made sure to give her space, letting her climb up into Lucy’s carriage with Parker, Tabitha, Nix, Sage, and the kids, while I climbed into Rob’s carriage with my family.
“What was that?” Damien demanded, shooting me a perplexed look. “You practically hired her on the spot.”
“Well, we need someone as soon as possible. She needs a job. Seemed right.”
My mom sent me a knowing smile. “Sometimes, you get a feeling about someone, don’t you, dear?” she nudged Dad’s arm gently. He hadn’t been paying a lick of attention to my conversation with Nellie, but he still nodded in agreement.
“Absolutely, your mother’s right. When you know, you know.”
“If it doesn’t work out, Noah can hire someone else,” Charlotte interjected, patting Damien’s hand as if to reassure him.
Damien drew in a breath, still not convinced I was thinking with my brain. To be fair, I wasn’t.
The problem was, I didn’t know what appendage I’d been thinking with.
Chapter Six
Nellie
* * *
I awoke early on Christmas morning to a quiet apartment. It was disconcerting, the silence. I hadn’t realized how used to random noises I was until I moved. It was much quieter in the bachelor apartment over Parker and Tabitha’s garage than it had been in the basement apartment I’d lived in for so many years.
I lingered in bed for a little while, doomscrolling on my phone while I slowly woke up. I didn’t have anywhere to be until later, so I was in no rush to leave the warmth and comfort of my bed.
Usually, I’d guzzle back a couple black teas while I went about getting ready for my day, but since learning about the pregnancy, I’d cut caffeine out. The first week after I’d found out, I had read far too many articles online about pregnancy and endometritis, and I was terrified to do anything to increase my risks of complications. They were already high enough.
It was why I didn’t want to be around Noah. Being around him made me think about the possibility of this not working out, and that scared me. I was doing my best to do everything I was supposed to, while not thinking about the pregnancy too much. I was eating all the right food, taking prenatal vitamins, drinking plenty of water, and not over-exerting myself.
I knew worrying wasn’t going to help, so I’d done my best to put the whole situation out of my mind and focus on other things; things that I could control, like unpacking and making this place more of a home.
