Page 15 of The Flight Risk

Lottie snorts. “No one calls me Charlotte. Other than my teachers during attendance. It’s so old-school. I’ve always hated it.”

“Well, I like it,” I say honestly. “I think it’s a nice name. Is that okay if I call you Charlotte?”

Something in Lottie’s eyes changes. I glimpse a new softness. I’ve cracked the shell I have yet to crack with her aunt. Maybe there is hope for me yet. Lottie ends up nodding as she props a ratty, old grey bunny with a faded pink bow around its neck in the middle of the bed. “Fine. Then I’m calling you Adam.”

“Okay, then.” I take a long stride toward Tess, who shifts her stance slightly when I come near her. I don’t know if she is repulsed by me or this situation in general. I know this wasn’t her idea. It was Brooke’s. But, I guess she wouldn’t have agreed to come stay with me if she was completely repulsed or hates my guts. “Do you want to see where you will be staying?”

Tess crosses her arms. “Sure.” She looks back at Lottie and says, “You good?”

Lottie nods.

“After you,” I say.

Tess skims past my body, with barely an inch between us, and heads toward the stairs.

“Um, what are you doing?” I ask her.

She points down. “Isn’t the couch downstairs?”

I chuckle. “Yes. But that’s not where you’re staying.” I pull her very oversized green suitcase behind me.

“I thought you only had one guest room.” She crosses her arms again, already on the defensive.

“I do.” I look down at her as I walk past. She raises an eyebrow. “My bedroom is right over here.”

I open the door and she slowly follows me in. “Oakley, are you sure? You are already offering your house up for us to stay for free. Seriously, you take your bed. I can sleep on the couch, it’s fine.”

“Not a chance. It’s already decided.” I don’t leave room for any type of debate with her. There is no way I am letting her sleep on the couch.

Tess runs her fingers along my dark slate blue comforter and observes the exposed brick and custom art prints I got shipped from Chicago. The only lighting in the room is coming from the dimly lit sconces I installed when I moved in. I roll her suitcase next to the black framed floor length mirror and point around the room. “The sheets are all washed and there are fresh towels over here.” I guide her to my en suite bathroom. There’s a massive walk-in shower with a rain shower head, which was a huge selling point when I bought the house. Being 6’7” makes it difficult to find showers that I feel comfortable in without squatting the whole time just to wash my hair.

“Nice shower,” she says as she returns to the room and sits down on the bed. “I guess this will do.” She winks at me and I get so excited that I feel like I won the fucking lottery.

“I’m glad it meets your expectations.” I clear my throat again. “Um, I got a TV, blackout shades, and a white noise machine. Didn’t know how you like to go to sleep. These things are apparently all the rage right now.”

“Wait, did you say got?” Tess asks, noticeably perplexed.

I rub the back of my head again, and sheepishly admit the truth, “Yeah. When I knew you were coming to stay with me, I…I just wanted you to be as comfortable as possible. I know how hard it is to be thrown off your routine. I definitely struggle with that.”

Tess rubs her arms and smiles. “Thank you.”

“No problem. I’ll let you get settled in.”

“Oakley, hold on.” Tess grabs my forearm, sending shivers all up and down my body. “Are you sure about me staying in your room? I feel bad. We are already messing up your routine and you just said that you struggle with your routine being thrown off. I can totally sleep on the couch.”

I place my hand over hers. “No chance are you sleeping on the couch, Tess.” We stay like that for about ten seconds before she slides her hand away. “Meet you downstairs. Any preference for takeout?”

She tucks her hair behind her ears. “Lottie really loves Thai food. Maybe that will cheer her up a little?”

My insides warm because I not only want Lottie to feel at home and okay about staying with me, I also want Tess to feel the same. “I also like Thai. Sounds good. Whenever y’all are ready, let me know what you want.” I close the door behind me to give Tess some privacy. Something tells me she is going to snoop around for anything embarrassing, not that there’s anything to find. I mean the Star Wars Legos were already fun teasing ammunition that I know she will use against me at some point. But, whatever she throws at me, I can take it.

11

“Shit, shit, shit.”

I wave the kitchen towel maniacally under the smoke detector. I accidentally set it off when I left a frozen pizza in the oven for too long while I was taking a longer-than-normal shower. Pippa is barking incessantly at the beeping sound, which is not helping my panic. Being on my tip-toes isn’t going to cut it. I climb on top of the counter and attempt to stop the incessant beeping. Each beep is mocking me for being such a terrible cook. This is why I always opt for take-out or just go out to eat.

Oakley is probably heading home soon and I need to get rid of the evidence that I almost burned his house down, plus I need to put some more clothes on. I was in such a rush getting out of the shower, I barely threw on booty shorts and an oversized sweatshirt that is slouching off one shoulder. No bra. No underwear. My hair is still dripping.