I hover near the edge of the living room, scanning for somewhere—anywhere—I can tuck myself away without interfering, when I spot a small nook just off the study. It’s quiet and out of the way. Perfect.
But I pull up short when I enter the room.
An old table’s been dragged into the space and wiped clean. A chair sits tucked beneath it. Someone’s rigged a work light overhead, clipped onto a makeshift stand of two-by-fours, and my briefcase sits on the desk, awaiting my return.
My breath catches, because this wasn’t just thrown together. The crew did this for me.
“Hey, Mike,” I call out, catching him as he passes by with a sledgehammer slung over his shoulder. “Thank you for setting this up. It’s perfect.”
He grins, shaking his head. “Wasn’t me. That’s all Eddie. He said you needed a place to work.”
My chin wobbles, and I turn away, pretending to fuss with my bag so Mike doesn’t think I’ve completely lost my mind crying over a desk.
Even though Eddie can’t stand to be in the same room with me, he still ensured I had a base of operations.
It’s exactly like him, and yet another reason I love the man… not that it matters anymore.
From my little nook, I have a clear view into the living room, which also happens to be where Eddie has set up camp. He’s got a set of plans and various tools spread across a pair of sawhorses and a sheet of plywood.
I glance down at the table now serving as my desk and realize he could have used it, but he chose to give it to me.
Maybe he doesn’t hate me.
I’m ready to test that theory and thank him for his generosity when Romy glides into the room, all sunshine and effortless charm. I remember being that bright. That untouched by life.
Those were good days.
She props her elbows on the edge of the plywood, her chin resting in her hand as she gazes up at him. “So what do you do for fun around here?”
Eddie huffs out a quiet laugh, his gaze still on his paperwork. “I’m a single dad. Fun is a six-year-old and early bedtimes.”
“You have a son? Oh my God, do you have pictures?”
Eddie tosses down his pen and pulls out his phone. “Of course I’ve got pictures.”
She leans in, a little too close, peering over his shoulder at the screen. “He’s adorable.”
“He’s the greatest kid on the planet.” The words slip past my lips before I can stop them.
Suddenly the din quiets. You could hear a damn pin drop.
Both of them look at me, Romy with open curiosity and Eddie with barely concealed aggravation, his mouth set in a thin line, his eyes dark and stormy.
I don’t know if he’s pissed because I dared to interrupt his conversation with a pretty girl, because I brought up his son, or because I exist at all.
We’ll go with some fun combination of the three.
“Wait,” Romy says, gesturing between us. “You know his son?”
Shit. Talk about backing myself into a corner.
I wave my hand, dismissing her question like it’s no big deal. “Yeah. I mean, the whole crew does. He’s a really great kid. Eddie does an amazing job with him.”
If Romy notices my discomfort, she ignores it, choosing to pivot back to Eddie, her main focus.
She circles his makeshift desk. “That’s it. You work way too hard. We’re all going out tonight. I want to see the local scene.”
Eddie shakes his head. “I don’t?—”
