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“I just thought of what would be a good project and would take at least a couple weeks of your time, if not more.”
I was all ears. “What’s that?”
“Organizing Mark’s office. Since he works for the company, that would make it a work project. If you’re up for a challenge, his files are a mess.”
My eyes met Mark’s. I could already see the fear set in. Whether he was afraid of anyone touching his stuff or that I would now have an excuse to be near him, I wasn’t sure.
“My stuff is fine,” he grumbled, making both Brian and Josh burst out laughing.
In good old ribbing fashion, Brian then teased, “Your office is like an episode of hoarders. You hold onto everything.”
“Legal documents are important,” Mark defended, without any heat. Being with the other two men over the years had clearly led him to develop a thick skin.
But I enjoyed the idea of having something to do and piped up, “If you have the cabinets, I have lots of time.”
Brian vouched for me. “She’s organized the entire office, man, so you’d be in good hands.”
Yeah, he would. Thankfully, the indecent thought stayed internal. “I’d love to do it, so I guess let me know.”
Mark gave me a smile which was noncommittal, at best. “Sure.”
Everyone finished up saying goodnight, and with my front door shut, I focused next on getting Tristan to bed. Later there would be plenty of time to do the dishes and clean the kitchen. Then if I had time, I really wanted to get signed up for online classes. It might take me ten years to get a degree, but I was determined to do it. And if I had to choose between exercise and school on how to spend my free time up here, well, it was school, hands down.
After changing my sleepy boy into his PJs and setting him down in his crib, I took a moment to caress his face and read him a quick story. By the time I was done, he was out.
I slipped out of his room, shutting the door quietly and then froze at the sound of dishes clinking. Turning toward the kitchen, I saw Mark gathering up dirty plates.
“And here I thought the crime rate was low in New Haven. But I was unaware of the growing trend of dishwashing break-ins.”
His eyes met mine while he flashed a sheepish grin. “Sorry. The door was still unlocked, and I felt guilty about leaving you with the dirty work after you did all the cooking.”
“That’s very sweet, but with Tristan down, I have all the time in the world.”
“Good. Then you can dry.”
He threw me a towel, obviously unwilling to give up on the task. “Your phone keeps buzzing, by the way.”
I glanced over and expelled a frustrated breath at the phone lit up on the counter. Rob’s parents had been calling all day with escalating messages. Their son had been arrested earlier today. And according to my attorney, the charges included drug trafficking, tampering with evidence, witness intimidation, and possession. The latest message from his mother had been that it was my duty to put up the twenty-five thousand dollars for his bail. How quickly they seemed to forget we were divorcing and I owed Rob nothing.
Putting that aside, I focused on the man in front of me instead. “Thanks for helping.”
“Yeah, well, I have time on my hands, too. And about the organizing of my office: I don’t want you to feel obligated.”
“I don’t at all. If anything, I’d be grateful for something to keep me busy.” I noticed while standing next to him that my five-foot-two inches only came up to his chest. And when his dark blue eyes focused down on me, I had to force my thoughts to the dishes instead of on how much I wanted to climb him. Jesus, since when had I been so affected by a man?
“Okay. In that case, I’ll buy some cabinets and get them set up. You could start in a couple of days, but only if you’re sure.”
“Believe me, if I didn’t want to do it, you’d know.”
To that I got a chuckle. “What will you do with Tristan during the day?”
“Haylee has been generous enough to offer to share her nanny, Natalie, who watches Abby. I need to work out logistics, but I think if Natalie can watch Tristan for five hours in the morning, I can then put him down for a nap here. That’ll give me a full work day.”
What I didn’t mention was needing to discuss the cost with Haylee. I might be willing to accept some charity in the form of this apartment, but I was absolutely insistent on paying for my portion of childcare. Of course, the amount would impact the number of hours I could afford. Unfortunately, I already had a lot of financial obligations. I was not only on the hook for our mortgage solo—Rob hadn’t bothered to pay toward it in months—but I was also still paying for childcare in Charlotte since I didn’t want Tristan to lose his spot. But if I was here more than a couple of months, I might have to reconsider paying double and un-enroll him for now.
My phone was once again buzzing on the countertop, interrupting my train of thought.
“Are you planning on answering that?”
