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“Let me take you there.”
He doesn’t wait for me to comprehend what he’s saying before leading me down the long hallway on the first floor and through the last door on the left. “Wait,” I say with a shake of my head. “Are you hiring me?”
“A trial run,” Easton mutters.
Judging by the stiffness in his shoulders I’m willing to bet this is harder on him than it is on me. When I was a teenager, I developed a crush on this man, eyeing him everywhere he was and wishing he would look at me like he did every other girl who walked by him. Unfortunately for me, my glow up didn’t come until after he had Bethany and he was living the family life with Elena.
I thought the crush had gone away, evaporated as the years went on, but as I watch his muscles strain against his shirt, I realize that’s not the case. There’s nothing I want more than to reach my hand out and run it over his arms, feel those massive biceps under my palm, but I doubt he’d appreciate that attention.
He clears his throat, gaining my attention, and I catch his gaze on mine. There’s an emotion in his dark green eyes that I can’t quite comprehend, but it’s enough to have me darting my gaze around the room to avoid it. My skin heats as I slip past him and into the room, taking in the simplicity of the decor, and I give him a small smile. “It’s not so bad.”
I’m acting like this is nothing to me, but his home is beautiful. There’s a porch that wraps around the entire house, a swing situated on the front facing the driveway, but it’s nothing compared to the inside. There are warm colors scattered throughout the place, my favorite being the olive green color in the living room, and it all comes together with the various plants and paintings hanging on the walls.
There’s a small dresser sitting on one side of the bedroom, along with a desk pushed against another wall. What catches my attention though is the door that’s slightly ajar with natural light spilling through the crack. I immediately step toward it and my eyes bulge at the large bathroom in front of me. “Jesus,” I whisper.
“I hope this is okay,” Easton says behind me.
I spin around and eye him leaning against the doorframe and give him my best smile. “Are you kidding? This is beautiful.” When Savanna told me Easton moved out of their parents’ place, this is not what I was expecting him to live in. There’s plenty of space for Bethany to run around if she wanted and I’ve already thought about the different things we could do outside while Easton is away.
His cheeks heat at my compliment and he nods. “Thanks. I’ll, uh, let you get situated here. Lunch should be ready in a couple hours.”
“Sounds good.”
Being around him has me on edge, so I can’t imagine what it will be like knowing he’s sleeping somewhere in this house with me. “Hey, Easton?”
“Yeah?”
“Why are you having me stay in the guest room anyway? From what I gather from Sav, you’re not actually out of town much.”
He sighs and nods. “I know, but this makes me feel better about you watching after Bethany while I’m away and you can help with taking her to her numerous activities, help her with her homework and everything else when I’m home. It’ll free me up a lot.”
It doesn’t make sense to me, but I’m not about to complain. It’s a win-win for me. I nod and give him a small smile. “No problem. I was just curious. Thank you, by the way.”
Easton cocks his head to the side and scrunches his eyebrows together. “For what?”
“Giving me this chance. You won’t regret it.”
He grunts before exiting the room and I walk over to the bed, flopping onto it with a groan. Savanna had to know this wouldn’t go as well as she had thought.
With that thought, I pull my phone out and click her contact. The line rings a few times before she picks up breathlessly. “Autumn, how did it go?”
“The real question is, what are you doing? You sound out of breath. I hope I didn’t interrupt.”
She scoffs. “Hardly. I’m rearranging our furniture while Dawson is at work.”
I had always hoped Dawson and Savanna would find their way back to each other. Although I’m always on my best friend’s side, there was no doubt in my mind that Dawson truly loved her. When she came to me after he ended things with her, it never felt right, like he was holding something back. It took her a while, seven years to be exact, but she finally got the happy ever after they had always planned to have.
Seeing them together has made me want what she has, as long as it’s not in this town. Nothing particularly bad has happened to me here; everyone is nice, but I want something… more. Maybe all I need is love and I’m willing to see if that’s what it is, but until then I’m saving up all the money I can so I can leave.
“I made a fool of myself.”
She sighs. “I’m sure it wasn’t that bad.”
“Sav, he almost kicked me out of his damn house.”
Savanna chuckles. “That crush is kicking you in the ass, isn’t it?”
I roll my eyes. “The crush is long gone.” If only I were telling the truth. Looking at him makes my pussy ache, which is bound to complicate things if I’m supposed to stay here all the time. “This is going to be hell.”
