Page 64 of A Little Bit Uncertain

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DONOVAN

Ibreathed a sigh of relief after talking to her.

When she said she wasn’t coming to my house, I was convinced she had freaked out over how I rejected her advances. If I thought for a minute that she would be ok with it, I would have let it continue, but I was so worried she would feel differently when the sun came up, that I stopped it. I wasn’t willing to take the risk of losing what I was chipping away at to get off for just one night. I bit my lip thinking about how hot it was when she jumped into my arms in the pool and then on top of me in bed. Even though I was the one that pulled her away, my resolve was hanging by a thread.

At least I’d get her back here tomorrow night, I thought. Since she’d never been to New York, I switched our flight to 6 a.m. so we could maximize our time. I had her send me a text of the top five things she wanted to see or do, and I intended to make as many as I could happen. Even though the thought of being a true tourist in my city made my skin crawl a little, she wanted to do it all: Times Square, Statue of Liberty, 9/11 Memorial, Central Park, and a Broadway show. I also wanted to surprise her and show her the things she didn’t know existed. Like taking her to the Evolution Store because she had been so bummed about missing the flea market, or go to the Ghostbuster Firehouse because she had mentioned it as one of her favorite childhood movies by default because her brothers always watched it. The next forty-eight hours were going to be a whirlwind in the best way possible. I contacted my old driver, Miles, to see if he could shuffle us around. The man had played, arguably, the most important role in my life, and it had been too long since I’d seen him.

The following day, I planned to work, go home to cook us dinner, and then go to bed early. I had a lady to win over in New York, after all.

Speaking of ladies, I wondered how awkward it was going to be when I told Audra that my mother was inviting another lady in hopes that I would ... gosh … what? What the hell was my mom thinking would happen? That I’d magically be interested in Evelyn? Throw the life I was building in Savannah Springs away and move back to court her? Drop to one knee on the spot? Even if the problem had been that I wasn’t ready before, which it wasn’t, what she and Evelyn tried to pull was more than enough reason to never go near her again. I’d avoided the thought of dinner for as long as I could, but now the anger was creeping in, crawling through me like static. Should I tell Audra about this on the plane? Thursday, during the day, when we were exploring? It’d ruin the whole day. I wish I didn’t need to tell her at all.

Rather than actually deal with it, I pushed it off again. Cranking the music, I busied myself with packing, made our itinerary for the trip, and completed what I had to before the night was through.

The next day, I got to the office early to get as much done as I could. Not only was I going to New York, but Maeve was leaving right after I returned, so I had to buckle down. I was completely engrossed in my task at hand, when a voice cut my concentration, “You’re taking my girl to New York, Wright?” Maeve appeared in my doorway and her eyebrows were sky high in playful accusation.

“Yeah, give her a chance to have a breath. There’s no Theo hanging around New York.”

“Uh-huh.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “In the most professional way because we’re, like, friends now … you know I know you’re full of shit, right?”

I choked on my coffee, “How do I even respond to that?”

“Tell me you’re interested. How long have you been into her? You used to hide in your damn office every time she came by. Was that because you’ve had a crush on her this whole time?”

Now, wasn’t that the question of the century? I had been curious about her every time she came to visit. Enjoyed her company from afar while she and Maeve laughed in the office. But as to when that switch flipped to I really want to know this girl, I’m not sure. That day in the flower shop poked the first hole in my armor; carbonara night blew it off, then there was no coming back after Vegas night. But there were tons of small moments between those. I wasn’t sure what sounded crazier. That my little infatuation had been building for a bit, or that this spiraled with an intensity that scared me. “Settle down there, Maeve. It’s been interesting.”

“Damn right. I have interesting friends. Do you know what she called you last night?”

I couldn’t even try to hide my eagerness to hear the answer. “She jokes that I’m Batman?” I guessed.

“No. I mean, yes, I’ve heard that through the grapevine, too. But last night, Cora said she called you her lighthouse. That is the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard anyone call someone. I’m not sure what is going on between you two, Donovan, but thank you for being there for one of my best friends.”

A lighthouse. I kind of loved that. Maybe I’d have to put that on our NY tour.

“She needed some help, and I happened to be in a position to do so. It’s not a big deal.” I tried to downplay it, but I wasn’t sure why. Maeve saw through me, there was no point pretending otherwise.

“You know we talk, right? Like, my four girls are on a text thread all day long. There are no secrets. Except for Jules and Murphy, and I guess my brother and Cora before he fucked it up, but…” She raised a brow at me, and I did the same back. She could be insinuating a bunch of things, but I would not be the one to give anything up. I wonder how much of the evening Audra disclosed. “Well, regardless, thank you, Donovan,” she said, knowing that was all she was getting from me.

The rest of the workday passed fast, and I found myself racing home with the groceries I had picked up. A rosemary chicken with a side salad and fresh bread was on the menu. It was a simple and delicious meal I’d perfected over the years, and I knew the dish would impress my Michelin chef.

Less than ten minutes after I put the chicken in the oven, there was a knock on my door.

“Donovan, are you kidding me?” She strolled in completely unaware of the chaos she was causing in my chest, and when she hugged me, she did her part to keep her mouth away from my lips. “My mouth is watering. I could smell that outside. What did you make?”

“It’s a lemon rosemary chicken. One of my favorites.”

“Ooh, I am in for a great meal!” she gushed.

Dressed down in yoga pants that highlighted her ass and a shirt that made her tits look perfect, she seemed lighter. Like, there wasn’t the threat of her psycho ex weighing on her shoulder. Her smile came easy, and even the tone of her voice was light.

“I have to admit, I’m excited about tomorrow. Do we have an itinerary? You seem like an itinerary kind of guy.”

I burst out laughing at that because the comment was completely on point. There was no question that I was an itinerary kind of guy.

“You got me on that, I made one last night. Let me guess, Chaos, you don’t do the itinerary thing.”

The smile that spread across her face stole my breath. Despite all our flirtations, laughs, interactions, and humping lately, for whatever reason, this mundane and foolish conversation hit me so profoundly. Her sparkling eyes bounced between mine, and it took all of my willpower not to scoop her up in my arms.