Billy: How’s my girl today?
Billy: Happy Wednesday, Sunshine. :-)
Billy: Hello?
Billy: C’mon, Lemon. You know we’re meant to be. We always get back together. It’s fate. Don’t fight it, baby.
My molars clamped down. We’d broken up probably five times when we were younger. But we weren’t kids anymore. I swear, Billy could sweet-talk a kid out of their Halloween candy. He did it to his nurses and patients all the time. And I was sick at how many times he’d done it to me.
I was about to pick up my phone and give him a piece of my mind when a noise made me jump. Oh, it was the side door entrance from the carport.
Silas came in fully dressed—in a pair of wranglers, work boots, and a long-sleeved, navy blue, button-down shirt. His hair was wet with product and he held my massive carpet cleaner in his arms. After worrying all morning that I was wrong, and that I really did need to wake him up every hour, it was a relief to see him alive and well. I hadn’t even known he’d left. It took me a second to realize where he’d been.
“You drove to the studio?” I pursed my lips. “You didn’t need to do that.”
Silas wiped his feet on the doormat and put the cleaner down. “It was the least I could do,” he said and I swear if he’d been wearing a cowboy hat he would’ve tipped it at me. He slid his foot into the boot jack and popped one shoe off and then the other. Then he rolled the machine into the living room.
While he was putting it away, I poured the steaming drink into my favorite mug. Sophie had given it to me. It was white with thin black lines forming a trendy arrow with three simple words underneath: You’re My People. Once I’d added an adequate amount of cream and sugar, I wrapped my fingers around the toasty cup and closed my eyes, letting the aroma waft up my nostrils.
My eyes fluttered open to find Silas standing right in front of me. Less than a foot away.
My heart thunked hard against my ribs. “Geez. Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"
His gray eyes were particularly piercing this morning up against that dark shirt. He squatted down to eye level and narrowed them at me. “Do you really think you should be drinking that?” His tone held a rebuke.
My jaw dropped, and I snapped it shut. Had he been possessed? By my mother? She was always on my case about drinking too much caffeine.
“Excuse me? What is your deal? You don’t go shaming a grown woman out of her Liquid Energy. Some of us need it to get through the day.” I took a sip and sighed extra loud just to annoy him.
He didn’t laugh—just intensified his disapproving stare. I fought the urge to squirm. He folded his arms across his chest. “It’s bad for your adrenals.”
I took another sip and wiggled my eyebrows, hoping to lighten his mood.
He shook his head, his lips pursed. Then he grabbed a mug and poured himself a cup. My mouth parted.
“Hypocrite much?” I scoffed. But I was kind of confused. He could drink coffee, but I wasn’t supposed to?
“I’ll quit if you do.” He lifted his brows like he hoped I’d take him up on it.
“It’s just coffee.” I took another long sip.
He lifted the cup to his lips and swallowed, but his expression was…disappointed? Frustrated? Annoyed? Silas was confusing me already, and the day had barely begun.
Anna bounded into the room. “I think I forgot to pack socks.”
“You can borrow some of mine.”
She flitted backout.
I studied Silas over my mug. “How’d you get into the studio?” I hadn’t told him the code.
“Peyton?”
My eyes went wide. “What time did you wake up?” She taught a five a.m. HIIT class, but she was gone by six fifteen. It was coming up on eight and he was just getting back? It shouldn’t have taken Silas more than ten minutes to clean the spot from last night.
He shrugged. “I had some errands to run after.”
My mug was empty. I could feel the octane hitting my bloodstream, but I had to have perfect cognition to lead a barre class. Another cup should do it. I reached for the pot.
