“Mm-hm. I really should get back. I love it over here, but I do kind of have my own place to take care of. I need to clean her litter box, make sure she’s got food and water, and of course I’ve gotta get my office set back up.”
His hands slow to a stop, pausing for a moment on my shoulders before moving to my hair. The gentle scalp massage as he finger-combs my locks is magical. My lids drift closed, and I put down the remainder of my sandwich so I can hold still for him. From the feel of it, he’s starting on a smaller section, and I wonder what kind of braid he’s planning.
“Are you going to come back after you check on her?”
His words are hopeful, and his tone has just a hint of quiet desperation, like my answer is perhaps more important than the simple question might lead me to believe.
It’s more to think about than I’m really ready for, especially after the stress of the past couple of days. I have a ton of work to get done, and I haven’t slept in my own bed. Do I want to sleep in my bed, though? It’s lonely there without Micah, but at the same time I can’t abandon Cleo just because I’ve got a hot guy who wants me over at his place. She’s probably lonely withoutme, and I feel a stab of guilt at leaving her even for the short time that I have.
“Maybe? I’ll have to see how I feel after I’m settled. It’s been a long couple of days.”
Micah’s hands pause again, just for a second. Then he ties off one braid and starts on another. “Yeah, I get that. Well, consider this an open invitation. Any time you want to come over, you’re welcome here. Day or night. I’ll even get you a key.”
“That’s sweet. Thank you.”
When he finishes my hair, Micah takes a picture for me again, this time with his phone. He sends me the photo in a text, then disappears outside with Hailey for her after-lunch playtime. I check the image, and I’m delighted to see that he’s done an elaborate Viking-esque set of braids that make me look almost fierce.
Then I see his face behind me in the shot, and my mood dims.
The poor man looks like his heart just broke.
Chapter 20
Micah
Iris gathers up her suitcase and work equipment to take home, and I give her a goodbye kiss at the door. I hate seeing her leave, even just for next door, but I guess I understand. She has a point: She’s got her own house to take care of, her own life over there.
I just wish she’d consider bringing that life to my house.
I offered to cook her dinner before she left, but Iris just grabbed a slice of the leftover pizza and ate it on her way. That was like a double punch to my gut. Iris has never turned down my cooking.
True to her four-year-old self, Hailey seems oblivious to my agony over watching Iris go. She grabs my hand and drags me to the kitchen, probably eager for some fresh-cooked food.
I whip up one of the chicken dinners I’d prepped for Iris real quick, then settle down in the living room with Hailey to watch an educational program for once. I feel like I’m letting her get away with too many movies and cartoons, so tonight I put on some documentary about zoos. Hailey doesn’t seem to mind the change of pace. She watches with rapt attention as the narrator explains the ins and outs of caretaking for the different animals. That gives me an idea for an outing: a zoo day. I haven’t taken Hailey to a zoo yet, and I bet she’d have a blast.
Wonder if Iris would come.
I shake my head to clear it of those thoughts. I can’t obsess over my neighbor like that. If she wants to come back, she’ll come back. If she doesn’t, well, then at least I didn’t humiliate myself too much.
When the doorbell rings just before Hailey’s bedtime, I jump up and rush to the door.
Imagine my disappointment when it turns out to just be Karen.
“Oh. Hi, Karen. Can I help you?”
She crosses her arms over her chest and glares at me. I have no idea what I could have done to piss her off this time. No one has been in or out of the house except Iris, and there’s no HOA rule against having neighbors over to spend the night.
“Micah, Micah, Micah.” Shetsksand shakes her head. “I’m disappointed in you. I had hoped I was wrong about you, but you just keep proving my instincts right.”
“What did I do?”
Karen pokes my chest with a bony finger. “You think we don’t know what you’re doing here? Poor Iris has enough man trouble without you stirring things up. Bringing her over for late nights, having her watch your child for you while you go galivanting off who-knows-where … Honestly, Micah, do you even care about her reputation?”
Iris’s reputation? Is Karen serious? We’ve been exclusive since I moved in, and I’ve never done a single thing to indicate otherwise. It’s not like it’s Karen’s business, anyway, or anyone else’s on this damn street. I have half a mind to tell her exactly what I think about her nosy ass, but I bite my tongue for Iris’s sake. If I don’t handle Karen just right, it might backfire onto her, and I can’t let that happen. Better to do what I can and hope for the best.
“Galivanting? Karen, I had a business trip. Iris was kind enough to watch my daughter for me while I was out of town.”
She purses her lips. “Mm-hm. Business.”
