Callie
Calista? Preston’s rubbing off on you already.
Anything else you two are rubbing ON each other?
I still stand by my suggestion of going in-house for the help you need.
I stare at my phone’s front camera and put it away, forever suspicious of being watched from now on. I need something to do. Singing off-key won’t cut it this time; I need a differentdistraction.
“Can I have your phone, please?” My palm’s already out to Preston.
He eyes me with both suspicion and curiosity, but hands it over, already unlocked. “What for?”
“I’m downloading your new schedule app. I’ll sync our accounts so I can update it when needed. And I’ll set alarms and reminders to make your life easier.”
“Oh.” He sounds surprised. As if no one’s ever done that for him before. “Thanks.”
I type quickly, uploading the calendar while biting my cheek. Then, I pick the most obnoxious ringtones I can find for his alarms. Sue me. Girl’s got to have some fun.
Back in business mode, I check the time. “Your first PT is scheduled to arrive at the house twenty minutes after our arrival.” He chuckles at me.
“You’re not fooling anyone, Miss Thorne. You’re a PA moonlighting as a nanny. I almost feel bad keeping you from bigger, better things.”
The word catches my attention. “Almost?”
“I’m not that good of a man, Mia. I’m starting to enjoy your company more than I thought I would. So no, I’m not letting you go just yet.”
Shut. Up. Heisflirting. And in broad daylight this time. I jerk my head toward the windshield before he can see the heat climbing my cheeks. Hot damn. And he’s good at it too. The man can sweet talk. If I wasn’t wearing trousers, my panties would’ve slid right off.
I’m still dealing with the aftermath of his words when he steers the conversation to a different topic. “What do you mean, myfirstPT?”
“I told you, I picked three. They’ll eachcome for a session, then you choose the one you prefer to carry on with.”
He leans back in his seat, amused. “Don’t complicate things, Mia. I’m sure today’s trainer will be perfectly fine. Might as well cancel the others.”
I stop the hundredth replay and possible interpretation of “I’m not letting you go just yet” when Preston parks in front of the house. It was driving me insane, but it’s also the best track my brain has ever put on repeat.
He hasn’t even locked the car when I blurt, “Do you need me to get anything ready for your session? Any drink you like during workouts?”
I need to keep my mind busy. And speak slower.
“I take it back,” he says with a sass I haven’t been introduced to. “You didn’t assist Liam. You babysat him, didn’t you?”
“It’s called making myself useful, so you can focus on what matters. And you haven’t answered my question.”
“I’m more than capable of fixing my own drink.”
“Congratulations on being a functioning adult. Now come to the kitchen and humor me.”
He huffs at first, but he’s smiling by the time he reaches the cupboard and pulls out his concoction of powders. Protein, green tea, and electrolytes. They turn the shaker bottle radioactive green, but who am I, the spirulina chugger, to judge?
With no idea what to do next, I head to the gym and start checking the equipment. As if I didn’t already disinfect the whole damn room yesterday.
“Now you’re just messing with me,” Dr. Preston says,arriving right as I’m on all fours flannelling corners that would require a cotton bud to properly reach.
No, Doctor. It’s God who’s taking the piss.Only, I don’t know what I did to deserve her punishment.
I shoot up, mildly horrified. He doesn’t even try to hide the smirk.
