Maid for Each Other(28)

But she was…scattered and selfish and utterly unable to be alone.

I don’t know that I would’ve learned that about her if my dad hadn’t died when I was in fifth grade. Before that, we’d been a happy little threesome who engaged in typical suburban things like annual vacations and daily evening dinners.

But when he passed and my mother started dating, everything changed.

It felt like, when I was a child, there was always someone new coming in and out of our lives. Boyfriends I loved who just disappeared at random, boyfriends I hated who moved into our apartment, and boyfriends with children whose homes we moved into.

My mom took care of me, yes, but she also burned to the ground any sense of stability we might’ve had in our lives.

Which, according to Lauren, was why I was a control freak now.

“That’s what he’s thinking about,” she said, “but he also said I can just move into his apartment like a month after he gets it, since she can’t do much about him having friends over.”

Poor Elsa, I thought, my stomach feeling heavy at the memory of my mom “having friends over.”

“Listen, I have to go,” I said, closing my notebook and standing. “I’ve got dinner plans and I need to get ready.”

“Ooh, do you have a date?” she asked, perking up.

Spoiler: My mother thought being in a relationship was the pinnacle of existence.

Spoiler: I was inclined to disagree with her.

“No, just dinner with friends,” I lied, because it was way easier than explaining my actual situation. “I’ll talk to you later. Love you.”

“Love you, too,” she said as I opened the door and went back inside the condo.

Just as I hung up, Declan sent a text.

ARE YOU OKAY WITH ME COMING BY AROUND 6 TO TAKE A QUICK SHOWER BEFORE WE GO TO DINNER?

I was impressed by how conscientious he’d been about sharing his place. He was behaving as if it was my apartment and I was in charge, when in reality he could totally boss me around and there was nothing I could do about it.

I texted: if you don’t stop yelling all the time I’m going to hide a catfish somewhere in your house that will slowly rot and attract vermin

He replied quickly. IS THAT A YES?

I sent: That is a yes but use your key like this is your place. How’s the Q&A going?

Declan: JUST CONCLUDED, ACTUALLY.

I texted: Don’t forget to give Warren his muffins.

Declan: WHAT MUFFINS?

Me: The muffins on the table next to your water.

Declan: IS THAT WHAT’S IN THE BOX?

Me: Duh

Declan: YOU DIDN’T TELL ME THAT.

Me: Sure I did.

Declan: TRUST ME, YOU DIDN’T

Me: Are you going to keep screaming nonsense at me, or are you going to leave me alone so I can shower before you get home?

Declan: I’M GOING TO LEAVE YOU ALONE FOR NOW, BUT LATER YOU’RE GOING TO PAY FOR THE NONSENSE COMMENT.

That made me pause.

Gasp.

Was he teasing me?

I stared down at my phone for a second before texting: ARE YOU THREATENING ME, POWELL?

Declan: Calm your ass down, Mariano. See you at six.

14

Pinned

Declan

She wasn’t home.

I’d walked the entire apartment, and Abi wasn’t there.

Talk about déjà vu.

Only she wasn’t on the balcony this time.

Which was fine, I supposed, since we didn’t have to leave for another thirty minutes, but I would’ve expected her to mention she wouldn’t be there when we’d texted earlier.

Then again, I was a fool for expecting her to do something that was expected.

I took a quick shower, then as I ducked into my closet to grab a tie, I heard, “Are you in the closet?”

I turned just as she stepped in the doorway, looking stunning in a black off-the-shoulder sweater, black leather skirt, and tall black boots that made me actually forget my name for a second.

And something about the all-black outfit made her hair look like shimmery copper.

I cleared my throat, fully aware of how I shouldn’t think she was gorgeous.

“Oh, my God, sorry,” she said, blinking fast and turning her back to me like she’d walked in on me buck naked. I noticed her hand was holding the back of her sweater together as she rambled, “I just thought—”

“I’m wearing pants,” I said slowly, because I was dressed, for fuck’s sake; I was wearing the slacks that went with my charcoal Armani suit. “You’re fine.”

“Okay, good,” she said, nodding, but she didn’t turn around.

“You can turn around,” I said, wanting to laugh at this unexpected shyness from my lack of a shirt. “I’m decent, I promise.”

She turned around and said, with her eyes dialed in on my face, “I was just looking for a safety pin.”

“Come,” I said, walking over to the drawers that were built into the wall. “I’ve got an entire bin full of them in here.”

I heard her follow me as I opened the top drawer and pulled out a container of safety pins. When I turned to hand them over, though, her eyes were on my chest and…well, shit, nothing was good about the way she looked at me and the way it made me feel.

“Do you need help?” I asked.