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I smiled. Knowing exactly how he would react to my answer. “Actually, Brie was there to help me get out of my leather pants.”
“Well then, I volunteer for that job, too. Every single time.”
“Nope.” I turned to face him, getting as close to his ear as I can. “You promised to be with Sky if I need to perform.”
The only reason Sky got to sleep out was because she had already made arrangements to finish a school project with her friends. She usually slept out on a Friday because I worked. Usually, if Hope Salinger babysat her grandkids then Sky would help her, sometimes Bex stayed with her. Going forward though, Sky would be with Noah unless he was on a mission.
“I did promise that, so let’s make hay then. I’m not going to get many opportunities to take off that corset and take advantage of the situation.”
My mind stilted for just a moment. Twelve years ago we started in a very similar fashion. Two people, attracted to each other and horny. The only difference was then we had no intention of seeing each other again. Could we handle the consequences if we took that step?
“Are we sure about this, Noah?”
“No pressure, but I will not abandon either of you. Skylar is my priority. That doesn’t mean we don’t get to enjoy life either. If this goes nowhere, she doesn’t need to know. And if it does, then we’ll sit her down and I’ll blurt things out again.”
I couldn’t help the giggle that escaped me. I looked up at him. “You want to get out of here?”
“That is why I am still holding on to your stuff.”
Another two gulps of my drink and I hugged everyone goodbye. Handshakes and man-hugs for Noah and then we were out the door.
The drive home wasn’t quiet and tense. I would imagine it was similar to any pair of parents who actually got along. We spoke about the fact that Skylar and Grace were sleeping over at Scott Waite’s house. Of course, Noah had exactly the kind of reaction I thought he would.
He frowned at me before looking back at the road. “Scott Waite? I know him. He sometimes helps the Salingers.”
“Once. He helped them once.” I turned to him, crossing my legs in the seat. “He’s a chef actually. Owns the best steakhouse in town.”
“That may be.” I could see the deadpan look on his face. “Once a sniper, always a sniper. Anyway, I thought Scott only had two boys.”
“He does. Owen, his youngest, is friends with Grace and Sky. They’re doing their history project together.”
“But Owen’s a boy.”
“Where would we be without your astuteness?”
“Don’t be cute.” His frown was downright adorable. “Our daughter is sleeping over at a boy’s house. How old is this kid?”
“He turned thirteen a while back.”
“Oh god. So, he’s reaching peak stupidity. Do you know what constitutes a good idea for a thirteen-year-old boy?”
I gave a heavy sigh and rolled my eyes knowing that the only way I would get to the end of the conversation was to let him vent. “No, tell me.”
“It needs to pop into their heads. That’s all they need to act on a thought. And you left our daughter with that kind of stupidity.”
“Actually, I left our daughter in the care of an army trained special forces operator. Trust me, those girls are safe. Both girls sleep in Owen’s room and Owen pulls out the camping mattress in his brother’s room. Do you honestly think I would let it happen if I didn’t trust the situation?”
Noah exhaled a breath. A long breath. Like he hadn’t been breathing for several seconds. His jaw relaxed and he gave me a quick smile. “Sorry. That was a bit of an overreaction. I know you made sure that Skylar was safe. Still, is there anything between her and Owen?”
My frown was immediate. “No. At least I don’t think so. From what I can tell when I eavesdrop on the girls’ conversations, Grace likes Owen. But that’s all I know. Brie knows more but she cannot say anything because they’re all in group therapy with her.”
Thankfully, he moved the conversation along. He wanted to make sure that he could receive his own mail to the house. “I pick it up from the main house every morning.”
“Oh.” He gives me a confused look. “Because I didn’t see the mail when I left this morning and then when I got home, the mail was on the coffee table in the living room.”
My body froze, fear running up my spine. “Noah, I never left any mail on the coffee table today.” I curled into myself. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I am a bit of a neat freak. Nothing out of place. Counters clear, sink clean before I leave the house.”
Noah nodded, then squinted and turned to me. “Did you say clean sink?”
