AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I don’t care what Garrett thinks of her.
“Please don’t quit. Jaxon needs you, and I do too. If Garrett’s the problem then he won’t be there tomorrow. I promise.”
I reached out my hand, encouraging her to affirm the agreement with a handshake.
“Brush off what happened; tomorrow, we'll resume as if nothing occurred.”
Breanna studies me for a long moment. She finally holds out her hand, and shakes on it.
I take Breanna’s hand, which at first seemed delicate, but now appears strong. We study each other as we shake hands, and I instantly feel a sense of relief. The seriousness in Breanna’s eyes indicates that she is expecting me to hold up my end of the deal and get Garrett out of the house.
Now, I just have to kick Garrett out. After the way he’s gone through my stash of vodka, it’s not something I exactly mind doing.
I’ve accomplished the mission I came here to accomplish, but I’m not ready to leave yet. I settle back into the booth to enjoy a drink with Breanna.
Chapter twenty-three
Breanna
Ihave no choice but to accept Harrison’s offer. I can’t find another job, and I need money right now. Actually, it would be better if I had it yesterday.
After some troubleshooting on the phone with someone at the bank, I am able to make a new account and view the house loan and its payments.
The house payment is extraordinarily high, and when I ask why, I’m only told that an extra loan was taken out against the house. I don’t know much about house loans and that sort of thing, but I do know that it looks terrible.
I can definitely cover the payment with my next paycheck, and I make sure to inform the person on the phone of that, but he informs me that he just works in IT and doesn’t handle payment plans.
He gives me a number to call, but the truth is that I don’t have the energy in that moment to face a perky person on the other side of the phone who has clearly never been in my position.
Feeling like I’ve done enough for the night, I shove away responsibility.
This burden sits heavily on me as I try to get some sleep, knowing that Harrison is expecting me at his house tomorrow. I can’t stop thinking about the way he found me and convinced me to come back. My heart says maybe there is something else involved. Maybe he cares about me.
Maybe he has feelings for me.
But then, my brain jumps into the picture and reminds me not to be so dumb. I need to be realistic. Harrison doesn’t want to search for another nanny when Jaxon clearly likes me already.
But it’s clear that Harrison can’t stand me. I don’t need to go creating fantasies in my head where Harrison tells me that he’s actually been thinking about it, and he has feelings for me after all.
It will only hurt me in the end if I keep thinking like that.
I walk up Harrison's driveway, a sense of relief flooding through me. The house is just as serene and quiet as it was before Garret showed up; no booming music or boisterous laughter can be heard from within. The absence of his imposing presence is like a weight lifted off my shoulders, and I can't help but exhale a sigh of relief.
It’s not that I didn’t trust Harrison to keep his word. It’s just that… okay, maybe that is part of it. I can’t help it. When Garrett has been the only example of a man recently in my life, I don’t exactly have a shining example of what trust is.
Walking up to the front door, I take a moment to appreciate the quiet calm that surrounds the house. It's a stark contrast to the chaos that accompanies Garrett's presence, and I find myself feeling grateful for the chance to spend some time with Jaxon, who will hopefully distract me from all the feelings Garrett dragged up by arriving here out of nowhere.
As I take out my key, I can't help but wonder what the day has in store for us. A tiny part of me pictures Garrett pulling open the door and laughing in my face. He’ll say he knows all about my conversation with Harrison. He and Harrison talked and decided I was the crazy one, and I had to get over myself.
The thoughts are so powerful that my hands are trembling as I open the door and step inside. I shove my key in my pocket and focus on keeping my hands steady.
When Harrison appears around the corner, a warm smile spreads across his face, and my heart skips a beat at the sight of him. There's something about the way he looks this morning, the softness in his eyes as he greets me, that makes my pulse quicken.
I can tell by the look on his face that he’s kept his end of the bargain, and I instantly feel a shudder of relief run down my body.
"Hey, Breanna," he says, stepping aside to let me down the hall. "I'm glad you’re here."
I return his smile, feeling a sense of ease settle over me as I take off my shoes. The familiar surroundings of Harrison's house offer a sense of comfort, and I can't help but feel grateful for the opportunity to spend time here with Jaxon. I know that Harrison is probably happier about the fact that he’s not searching for last minute childcare than about the fact that it’s me, but I allow myself to imagine his words mean more than they do.
