Page 37 of Life’s Too Short

“Did you file a police report?” he asked from behind me.

I nodded, laying Grace down on the sofa to put a diaper on her. I swallowed hard before speaking. I didn’t want to cry in front of him. “I did, but the diamond is small. The whole thing comes to less than a thousand dollars. They won’t look very hard. It’s got a kismet inscription, so I guess it’s not totally impossible, but they’ll probably never find it.” I sniffed. “It is what it is. It’s fine. It was just sentimental is all.”

He came up behind me and handed me the little outfit he had picked for Grace. I took it without looking at him.

“Did you lose your mom?”

I nodded. “Yes. When I was six. Car accident.” I slipped the pajamas over Grace’s head.

“Your sister’s nine years younger than you. A half sister?”

“With my dad’s second wife. That’s Brent’s mom too.”

“And where is she?”

I finished buttoning the outfit and picked up Grace. “As far away from us as humanly possible. And I don’t even blame her,” I mumbled. I turned to him and wiped at my eyes. “I’m sorry I took so much of your day. Thanks for watching her. I’ll be out of your hair in a minute.”

“Do you want to join me for dinner?”

The question took me so by surprise I had to stop and stare at him. He was sitting on a chair. He had his elbows on his knees, hands clasped, gazing at me.

“You want to have dinner with me?” I asked, blinking at him.

“Yes.”

“You’re not sick of my shit yet? Or her shit?” I nodded at Grace.

He chuckled. “No, I am not.”

He wasn’t hitting on me. This was totally platonic. But I liked him and letting myself spend more time with someone I could develop feelings for wasn’t in my best interest—or his. He had no idea what he was getting himself into. My life was like a warehouse with one of those THIS MANY DAYS SINCE THE LAST ACCIDENT signs, and the number was always at zero.

I licked my lips. “Getting close to somebody right now isn’t a good idea for me.”

“Why?” he asked.

I let out a sigh. “Adrian, my life is a mess. It’s a mess. You have no idea. My whole world is like a muddy hill of shit, and if you get too close, you’ll be sliding down it with me.”

“Because you have family problems? There’s no such thing as a perfect family. There are just families that do better PR than yours.”

The corner of my lip twitched.

“I like hanging out with you,” he said. “And I need to watch more of The Office. I’m still not hitting on you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Well, at least there was that. God.

My fucking life. Imagine the hot, smart, incredible guy not hitting on you being the preferred scenario.

“I’ll make lamb shanks,” he said.

I wrinkled my forehead. “I thought you said you don’t cook.”

“I may have misstated that a bit. I don’t like to cook just for myself. It’s not worth it. But I do very much enjoy cooking for someone else. Especially someone who will appreciate it.”

I bit my lip. “I don’t know. I have to do laundry, and if I eat with you, I won’t get to it until tonight. The laundry room is crowded after eight.”

He shrugged. “Do it here. I have a washer and dryer.”

I arched an eyebrow. “You do? Really?”