Sexy Jerk(19)

It's abundantly obvious she's been burned, and most likely by that Frenchman of hers. "No, you won't owe me anything."

"Okay," she says.

"Okay," I grin.

With a bite of her lip, she extends her right arm. "I'll take it."

I take her proffered hand in mine and slowly shake it. The entire time my eyes are watching as the color of her cheeks flushes.

Yeah, I did that on purpose.

Quickly, she draws her hand back and covers it with her glove. "Thanks to you it looks like I won't have to get in bed with the devil."

There is so much in that statement I'd like to dissect.

The most hopeful line of thinking being . . . does she mean she'll get in bed with me instead?

Hey, I might have saved the day, but I never said I was a knight in shining armor.





Tess

WITH CONSTRUCTION PAPER covering the table, and a couple pairs of blunt scissors lying on top of the messy piles, I stare out the picture window facing the street.

The weather hasn't improved at all. Snow is still falling, the temperature has dropped to near ten degrees, and ice is beginning to form everywhere.

With the roads in really bad condition, and visibility as poor as it is, it is very unlikely that many patrons will be out and about on this Sunday afternoon. Because of this, it is doubtful my planned scouting expedition to Printer's Row will give me the information I'm looking for, so I decide to postpone my research trip until tomorrow.

"Bye-bye," Max says, jarring me out of my thoughts.

I glance down at the phone screen.

Fiona looks so great-tanned and smiling. "Bye, my baby. Mommy loves you," Fiona says to Max, blowing him kisses.

"Daddy loves you too," Ethan adds, placing his hand on Fiona's bare thigh. The happy family moment makes my heart swell. Ethan comes closer, and it's then I notice that unfortunately he doesn't look tan like Fiona, but rather burned. Really, really painfully burned. Could it be karma perhaps? Okay that wasn't nice.

Rising to my feet, I take a step behind Max and wave at the two of them sitting happily on their hotel room bed. We've been facetime chatting for almost ten minutes, and I think Max has had his fill of remaining still.

As if on cue, Max looks back at me with his colored snowflake in his hand. "Can I go hang this one?" he asks in his cute toddler voice, where the words are sometimes hard to decipher.

I'm getting better at it at least.

Understanding most of his sentence, I offer him my hand to help him off the stool. "Yes, of course, but first say goodbye to Mommy and Daddy one more time."

"Bye," he calls as his little bare feet hit the floor and he trots over to the staircase where we are hanging our snowflake collection.

"I really miss him," Fiona says with a tear in her eye.

I snatch up the phone from where it is propped. "He misses you too."

"Are you sure he's doing okay?" Ethan asks, concern clear in his voice.

"He's more than okay," I reassure with a smile. "You have nothing to worry about, Nick and I are taking very good care of him."

"About that," Fiona winces, pulling the phone closer so it's only her and I visible on the screen.

I narrow my eyes at her. "Yes, about that." I haven't talked to Fiona since she left. We've texted, emailed, exchanged messages, but this is the first time we've been face to face.



       
         
       
        

"I should have called and warned you about Nick, I'm really sorry."

"Warned?" I hear Ethan sigh in the background. "It's not like he's trouble."

"That's not what I meant," Fiona clarifies. "You know they don't get along that well."

I decide not to say anything to Ethan because in my heart I know he did what he thought was best for Max. And to settle the issue there, I give Fiona a don't worry about it wave. I don't want her to feel bad. Besides, the situation is much better than I thought it would be. However, her and I will discuss this in private when she returns. "It's all good, honestly, Nick has been surprisingly very helpful."

"Speaking of Nick, is he around?" Ethan asks, taking the phone from Fiona.

"No, he left early this morning. He went to visit his brother at school."

"Can you tell him to call my office tomorrow about the new land deal in Miami?"

I shake my finger at him. "Tsk. Tsk. I thought you weren't working on your vacation?"

"I'm not. My paralegal just has a few quick questions for him. And Tess," he says.

"Yes," I reply.

"Thank you for everything."

This is about as close to an apology as I'll probably ever get from Ethan for springing Nick on me the way he did, so I accept it graciously. "You're welcome. Now stop arguing about the two of us and you two go have fun."