“Well, this is a surprise,” I said, smiling.
Yesterday, after the messy meeting with Allison, my body felt out of my control. Gemma seeking me out while I tried to wrest back control of my emotions had distracted me enough for everything to settle. Seeing Nathan fly off the handle as he left the café nearly upended it again, but it was up to me to decide whether I would allow it.
I would always feel things deeper than other people. I couldn’t change it. But I could determine which situations I put myself in, and when I needed to retreat to a quiet place to recover.
“I was planning to leave this on the steps, but I saw you through the window,” he said, holding my sweater out to me. This time of year was unpredictable, so I kept one on hand, my body always running a bit cold. “Up early working?”
“I was about to go for a run.” I gestured to my body covered in leggings and a loose T-shirt. “Thanks for bringing this, but you didn’t have to—”
“I know, but—” Derek stopped abruptly, his gaze locking on something behind me.
A glance over my shoulder, and I was met with piercing blue eyes fixed on Derek and me. There was that damn swooping sensation deep in my gut again. Nathan leaned on the kitchen doorway, annoyingly still shirtless, sipping a glass of water. He wasn’t even trying to hide his eavesdropping.
Derek directed his attention back to me. “Since you’re both here, mind if I come in and talk to you about something?”
I pushed open the door and stepped aside, then trailed behind Derek as he followed Nathan who had retreated to the kitchen. I thought starting my morning by dreaming about Nathan meant my day could only get better, but like with most things lately, I was very, very wrong.
“You make early house calls to all your clients, Ellis?” Nathan leaned on the counter, gripping the edge with both hands. His toned forearms were obscene this early in the morning.
I glared at Nathan. One side of his lips tugged up in a wry smile.
Derek ignored the bait. “I’ve been in touch with the cats’ foster homes, and they are each willing to bring their cat to the house, so you don’t have to drive all over to collect them.”
Nathan sighed. “Can’t they just stay there? We’re trying to sell this place.”
“They’re all separated?” I squeaked. The thought of being ripped away from everything familiar without explanation made my chest ache. “They’re probably scared and miss your dad.”
Nathan scoffed. “God, you’re such a bleeding heart.”
“You used to like that about me,” I said quietly, staring at the floor, refusing to look at him. Or at his sleeve of tattoos. Or his abs.
Fucking hell, is he going to be half-naked every morning?
Derek cleared his throat. “They can’t keep them. It was a temporary arrangement. If you can give me a window when you’ll be home, I’ll arrange it. They’ve all offered to bring over supplies for a couple of days until you can get to the store.”
“Thank you, that’s nice of them,” I said.
Nathan turned away from us, busying himself by starting a pot of coffee. The decision was left to me.
“Any time this week will work fine. In the evening.”
“I’ll let them know.” Derek pointed over his shoulder. “I should…”
I nodded. “Right. I’ll walk you out.”
When we got to the door, Derek took my hand and led me through it. He kept his voice low. “Are you sure you’re okay staying here?” He’d expressed the same sentiment yesterday when I told him what happened at the café. “I have room—”
I waved a hand. “I’m fine. Really. I’ve known him my entire life.”
Except this is new territory,the voice in the back of my mind frustratingly reminded me. Nathan and I had a lifetime of being teammates, but we were friends then. After our falling out, we never had to work together. Live together, yes, but his dad and my mom provided a buffer. This time, I was alone with a manwho would rather be anywhere than in this house with me. But after last night, I had hope we could get to a good place.
Derek’s assessing gaze remained on my face. “You know how to find me if you change your mind.” He clasped my forearm and gave it a single squeeze.
“I know.”
“I’ll text you later to finalize arrangements with the cats.”
I nodded. “Thank you, Derek.”
