Page 184 of Trouble from Abroad
I nudge her leg next, still hanging out of the car. With my foot now and less patience. She finally sinks into her seat, but keeps the door open and the needling going.
“Seriously,” she says. “April really outdid herself, huh? Mia’s the total opposite of Blake. Just what you need in a rebound.”
My jaw locks. I try to stay neutral, but the flinch at my ex’s name gives me away.
I push through. “Mia’s not my rebound. She’s my daughter’s nanny.”
Why do I even bother? That reasoning would never be enough for Callie.
Her eyes glint with wicked delight. “Women are great multitaskers; I’ll have you know.”
I’m too tired for this. Whatever this is.
“Calista, the clock’s ticking. Driver’s waiting. Go home.”
She winks as she shuts the door. “Avoidance. That’s confirmation in my books, Pres. But that’s okay. You’ll spill it when you’re ready. I’ll be here.”
The car pulls away, and I can finally breathe. Even if the air tastes like exhaust and bad decisions.
I step back inside and I’m greeted with silence.
Which means Mia’s gone to bed.
Which also means I won’t be asking where I can drop my application to become her personal tutor slash man-whore.
Saved by the clock; damned for the rest of her stay.
CHAPTER TWELVE
preston
I don’t sleep well backin my bedroom. I stayed in what’s now Mia’s room for weeks, and my own bed feels… wrong.
I’m not sure if it’s this room and the sour memories of my ex in it, or the dream I had last night—me at the front of a classroom and Mia being a very, very naughty student—yanking me awake. Either way, instead of lying here overanalyzing it and drowning in guilt about where my subconscious insisted on taking me, I blame the pillow and punch it, trying to knock some of the tension out of my body.
It’s 6 a.m. when I give up falling back asleep and text my parents, who are surely already awake and running errands around the house. I ask them to bring Lily home on Saturday morning instead of Sunday, and they stubbornly agree after a few more text exchanges where I threaten to go there and get her myself.
They live on Compo Beach and will take the ferry to New York. Lily loves the trip, and I know they don’t want to miss her joy during the ride.
Coffee. That’s what I need now that’s settled. I’m mentally calculating how many shots to make it through the day when Mia’s voice startles me on my way down to the kitchen. She must have been waiting for me to pass by her door.
“Good morning, Doctor.”
“Morning, Miss Thorne.” Fuck, she gets prettier by the day. I force my gaze down. “Would you like some coffee?” I wrap the linen robe tighter around my waist and make a plan to buy one made of chainmail.
“Yes, please. But first, could you show me Lily’s room?”
I wasn’t expecting that. “Sure, but… why?”
She shrugs and smiles. “To get to know her a bit more. See which books she reads, what toys she likes to play with. That kind of stuff.”
It’s so… thoughtful. And thorough. I don’t think it’s for show. Mia’s worried about impressing Lily, not me. That tug in my chest is appreciation, which is somehow more dangerous than the attraction.
“Oh.” My shoulders loosen into a better place. “Please. This way.”
Coffee forgotten, I watch as she goes through Lily’s books, laughs at Dog Man’s ridiculous jokes, and asks which plushies are Lily’s favorites out of the dozens crammed into the net hanging in the corner.
She walks around, taking in every detail, smiling at things I can’t pinpoint but don’t question. Then I’m hit with a round of questions I’m not ready for.
