“Just a bit of work.”
“Is that why you stayed over the other night?” Bea asks, and Jordan and I freeze. “To work?”
When we fell asleep together watching TV.
“How did you find out about that, Bea?” I ask, keeping my voicecasual, while Jordan looks like she wants to disappear through the floor.
“I saw it on the Ring app.”
Right. I forgot. “I put a motion-activated camera in the back because Bea likes to keep track of the wildlife on our property,” I tell Jordan.
“That’s how I know about the cougars,” Bea adds. She looks between us and frowns at me. “We aren’t allowed to have secrets.”
I nod. “Yes. That’s the rule. No secrets.”
“We were hanging out and I fell asleep,” Jordan says quickly.
Holly is going to love this. She’s going to be over the moon. I’m already dreading that conversation.
Bea nods like that makes sense. “Did you cuddle?”
Jordan makes a strangled noise. “What?”
“My mom and Jeff cuddle on the couch and my mom falls asleep on him. And sometimes my dad cuddles me before bed, and he smells nice.”
“Yes, Bea.” I don’t look at Jordan because if I do, I’ll start laughing. “We cuddled.”
“Don’t you think he smells good?” Bea asks Jordan, and my face hurts from smiling.
“Uh.” Jordan looks at me. Her face is going red. I love it. “Yes. He smells good.”
Bea nods, satisfied, and hops up. “I’m going to get my guitar.”
“I hate you,” Jordan murmurs the second she’s out of earshot, while I grin like a fool.
CHAPTER 58
JORDAN
When it’stime for Bea to go to bed, she insists that I accompany them upstairs. I linger in her bedroom doorway while Tate drops a kiss onto her forehead, and she glances between me and him.
“You won’t let her go home until the power goes on, right?”
I can’t see his expression, but he pauses before he nods. “I won’t let her go home until the power goes on.”
“Goodnight, Jordan,” Bea says.
“Goodnight.” I give her a small smile.
Tate turns her bedside light off and closes her bedroom door behind us.
“Thanks for that, tonight,” he says in a low voice as we make our way down the stairs. “I know there’s probably a long list of things you’d rather be doing.”
“There isn’t,” I say before I can catch myself, but it’s the truth. “I like Bea. I like hanging out with her. She’s fun.”
He smiles to himself. “Yeah. She is.”
Downstairs, he settles back onto the sofa, tucking his hands behind his head in a way that makes his biceps the center of attention. “I think we can spare the power for a few more songs, if you want to keep playing music.”
